Italy’s Nationwide Museum of Cinema in Turin on Monday paid tribute to Oscar-winning U.S. actor Kevin Spacey, presenting the American Magnificence and Home of Playing cards star with its highest honor, the Stella della Mole Award for lifetime achievement. Enzo Ghigo, president of the Nationwide Museum, and Vittorio Sgarbi, Undersecretary to the Italian Ministry of Tradition, introduced Spacey with the prize.

“Tonight we’re witnessing Kevin Spacey’s comeback,” stated Sgarbi, including. “The one residing by means of cinema is an immortal man, and it’s exactly him that we’re awarding this prize to tonight.”

Spacey thanked the Turin Museum of Cinema for having “the braveness, the balls, to ask me.” The general public occasion marked Spacey’s first since dealing with sexual assault prices.

Spacey additionally took half in a masterclass on the Temple Corridor of the Mole Antonelliana in Turin, the place he spoke with museum director Domenico De Gaetano about his life and profession. 

“Tonight I contemplate myself extraordinarily fortunate,” Spacey stated. “I’ve been doing this job for over 40 years, and I’ve solely ever obtained kindness and help from my followers and coworkers. And I’m honored to be a part of this course of.”

After the masterclass, Spacey met his followers —a youthful and enthusiastic crowd— to introduce a particular screening of Sam Mendes’ American Magnificence, the movie which received him a finest actor Oscar in 2000.

Lacking from the discuss, and the whole night was any dialogue or point out of the legal allegations levelled towards Spacey within the U.Ok., the place the actor has pled not responsible to quite a few prices together with sexual assault, indecent assault, and inflicting an individual to have interaction in sexual exercise with out consent.

In late October, a jury discovered Spacey not liable in a separate, sexual misconduct trial involving actor Anthony Rapp. Spacey stays on unconditional bail till his trial within the U.Ok. later this yr, permitting him to maneuver freely in and in another country.

The quite a few accusations towards Spacey, made within the wake of the #MeToo motion, have made the actor persona non grata in Hollywood. He was fired from Netflix collection Home of Playing cards and was compelled to pay a $31 million arbitration settlement to collection producer MRC for sexual misconduct involving younger crewmembers on the present. 

Spacey, nevertheless, has discovered work in Europe. He appeared in Franco Nero’s The Man Who Drew God, which premiered on the Torino Movie Competition in December, and performs the lead function as Gore Vidal in Michael Hoffman’s upcoming, Italian-set, Gore.

In Turin, the award-winning actor Spacey solely made indirect references to his authorized troubles, singling out his loyal supervisor, Evan Lowenstein, for reward.

“There’s nevertheless somebody specifically that I have to thank tonight,” he stated. “When you have got a good friend like Evan Lowenstein, life could be one thing fairly particular. I respect him professionally in addition to personally, due to our friendship. It’s because of him that I spotted I needed to take all of the setbacks and errors I made and get again on my ft, transfer on. It’s not simply what he does for me: it’s what he does for his spouse, his youngsters, his buddies. I wish to shift everybody’s consideration on you, tonight, for all the pieces you do. Stunning issues are twice as lovely, like tonight, as a result of I can share them with you. I’m really fortunate to have you ever as my brother – you’re the brother I by no means had.”