Kevin Spacey made his return to the spotlight on Tuesday, comparing his plight to that of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo.
While accepting the lifetime achievement award from the Better World Fund Gala in Cannes, the actor made controversial comments about being blacklisted from Hollywood during his acceptance speech.
“Who would have ever thought that honoring someone who has been exonerated in every single courtroom he’s ever walked into would be thought of as a brave idea,” Spacey said in reference to the multiple sexual assault charges brought against him.
The “House of Cards” alum also compared his invitation to Cannes to Kirk Douglas’ support of Trumbo, a Hollywood screenwriter who was blacklisted for his alleged ties to the Communist party in 1947.
“Kirk Douglas took the risk and would later say: It’s easy for us actors to play the hero onscreen, 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,” Spacey said. “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.”
Kevin Spacey compares his blacklisting from the film industry to that of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo in a fiery speech at #Cannes. pic.twitter.com/DLXXvuzi3d
— Variety (@Variety) May 20, 2025
The 66-year-old actor ended his speech quoting his friend Elton John, saying, “The reason that this means so much to me is because I’m still standing, I’m still standing.”
Sexual assault accusations against Spacey were first made in 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp alleged the Oscar winner made sexual advances toward him in the 1980s while he was 14 and Spacey was 26.
Shortly after, several other men came out with similar stories of being sexually assaulted or harassed by Spacey.
The scandal led to his fall from public grace, resulting in his firing from Netflix series “House of Cards,” removal from the film “All the Money in the World” and swiftly being dropped from his talent agency.
In September 2020, Rapp sued Spacey in a civil suit for sexual battery and sexual assault, for which he was found not liable.
Three years later, Spacey was acquitted in a U.K. court after being accused of sexually assaulting four men with ties to London’s Vic theatre.
In an interview with Piers Morgan, Spacey admitted to “pushing the boundaries” and “being too handsy” with people in the past, but ultimately denied misconduct.
