Cannes [France], May 21 : Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey delivered a lengthy and fiery speech in Cannes on Tuesday evening, marking his first visit to a global film festival in almost a decade and since being found not guilty on sexual assault charges, reported Variety.
Spacey was speaking at a gala held by the Better World Fund, where he was presented with an "engagement award " by the organization's president, Manuel Collas de la Roche.
According to the outlet, Spacey spoke for almost 10 minutes on stage after accepting the honour, during which he highlighted his own ousting from Hollywood and the blacklisting of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo.
He also got emotional as he praised his "best friend" and manager Evan Lowenstein, reported Variety.
'The House of Cards' actor hailed the Better World Fund for taking "risks" by inviting him after he was allegedly accused of sexual assault or inappropriate behaviour by more than 30 men, reported Variety.
"Who would have ever thought that honouring someone who has been exonerated in every single courtroom he's ever walked into would be thought of as a brave idea," said 'The House of Cards' actor as quoted by Variety.
Variety reported that he also compared the Better World Fund's decision to invite him to the 1960 event when actor Kirk Douglas came to support the blacklisted writer Trumbo for the movie 'Spartacus'.
"Kirk Douglas took the risk and would later say: It's easy for us actors to play the hero on screen, we get to fight the bad guys and stand up for justice, but in real life, the choices are not always so clear. There are times when one has to stand up for principle. I have learned a lot from history. It very often repeats itself. The blacklist was a terrible time in our industry, but we must learn from it so that it never happens again," said Spacey as quted by Variety.
He closed his speech by citing Elton John. "As my friend Elton John once said, and the reason that this means so much to me, is because I'm still standing, I'm still standing," concluded Kevin Spacey as quoted by Variety.
Kevin Spacey was honoured with the Award for Excellence in Film and Television by the Better World Fund at a gala in Cannes on Tuesday.
The Better World Fund cited Spacey's "artistic brilliance" and "impact on cinema and the arts" as reasons for the honour.
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