The double Oscar-winning actor, who pleaded not guilty last Friday to seven new sexual assault charges in the United Kingdom, was rewarded Monday evening for his career in Turin.
American actor Kevin Spacey, whose career has been on hold since he was accused of sexually assaulting several men, received an award at the National Cinema Museum in Turin on Monday.
“Tonight we witness the return of Kevin Spacey”, enthused Enzo Sgarbi, president of the museum. “He who lives through cinema is an immortal man and it is this man that we reward tonight.”
Kevin Spacey, in his speech, thanked the museum for having “the courage, the balls to [l’]invite.” This evening was the first public event in which the actor participated since the accusations against him.
“Tonight I feel extremely lucky,” he added. “I’ve been in this business for over 40 years and only got nice things from my fans and colleagues.”
In the middle of legal proceedings
Kevin Spacey is also in the middle of legal proceedings. He pleaded not guilty to seven new UK sex assault charges last Friday, months after previously denying other similar charges.
The 63-year-old Hollywood star actor, who attended the hearing at Southwark Court in London by videoconference, is accused of sexual assault on a man, which allegedly occurred between 2001 and 2004.
The two-time Oscar winner (for American Beauty and Usual Suspects) has already been prosecuted for four sexual assaults on three men between March 2005 and April 2013, when he was director of the London theater Old Vic.
Heard in July during a hearing for which he had made the trip to London, he had also pleaded not guilty. In total, he must answer 12 charges related to accusations of sexual assault on four men between 2001 and 2013.
The trial of the actor scheduled for next June and which should last a month, will deal with all of these cases. A procedural hearing is scheduled for April 5.
Kevin Spacey has also faced charges in the United States. Last October, he was found not guilty of sexual assault by a New York civil court.
He had also been charged with indecent assault and sexual assault on an 18-year-old young man in a bar in the state of Massachusetts, on the east coast. The charges were dropped in July 2019.
