Kevin Spacey denounces a witch hunt at a Cannes tribute shunned by peers

Kevin Spacey has returned, but many want nothing to do with him, neither on screen nor off. The actor received an award in Cannes on Tuesday in recognition of his career, granted by the Better World Fund, a non-profit organisation, yet many of his peers shunned him. Despite being acquitted of sexual assault charges, Spacey remains ostracised, his legal battles marked by controversy. Evidence of his unpopularity was clear at the tribute held at the Carlton Hotel on La Croisette, where no prominent figures attended.

The man who brought Frank Underwood to life in 'House of Cards', a role he had to abandon after being dismissed by Netflix, feels he is the victim of a witch hunt. Spacey claimed his situation is akin to that of Kirk Douglas, who defied McCarthyism by hiring Dalton Trumbo to write the screenplay for Spartacus (1960).

Kevin Spacey's rehabilitation is slow to materialise. After becoming a target of the MeToo movement, the actor has been honoured at the Taormina Film Festival and starred in the thriller 'The Awakening', yet efforts to restore his reputation have faltered. He even likens himself to a 21st-century Trumbo. "We know what that means, don't we? It means he couldn't find work as a screenwriter in Hollywood for 13 years." For the star of American Beauty, one can be a hero on screen and a pariah in life. "I've learned a lot from history: it repeats itself frequently. The blacklist era was terrible for our industry, and we must learn from it to prevent it from happening again," he concluded.

For Spacey, the outlook in Hollywood is grim, where around 475 professionals were subjected to scorn, with slander and false accusations ruining their lives. "Today, we find ourselves once again at the crossroads of uncertainty and fear in the film industry." He ended by paraphrasing Elton John's song I'm Still Standing.

The two-time Oscar winner for 'American Beauty' (1999) and 'The Usual Suspects' (1995) was at the height of his popularity and one of the most sought-after actors when, in 2017, an accusation derailed his career. Although he was acquitted in the UK and a civil lawsuit in New York failed three years ago, he has been accused by more than 30 men of inappropriate conduct. Among them is Guy Pearce, an Australian actor who participated in the cast of 'The Brutalist'. Meanwhile, Kevin Spacey is trying to clear his name in cinema. Besides 'The Awakening', the films 'Gore' and '1780' are awaiting release.