Kevin Spacey stepped back into the limelight to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award at a gala event in Cannes, amid reports suggesting he is not welcomed at the film festival.

The controversial actor, 65, who was cleared of sexual assault on four men two years ago, took the opportunity to slam ‘blacklisting’ in Hollywood.

On Tuesday, Spacey was celebrated at a gala organized by the Better World Fund as he made strides to reestablish his presence in public life after being cleared of allegations during a lengthy UK trial in 2023.

During his first visit to Cannes since 2016, promoting his latest film, The Awakening, Spacey was acknowledged not only for his artistic accomplishments over the years but also for his lasting influence on cinema and the arts, according to a press release.

The gala is not an official part of the French film festival but the Carlton Hotel plays host to much of the activities during the prestigious event in Cannes.

And now The Telegraph reports that the film festival had not extended an invitation to Spacey and organisers have denied any involvement with the actor.

A statement by the event’s organisers said he was attending an event with ‘no affiliation whatsoever to the festival’. 

It said: ‘The Festival de Cannes had no involvement in, and was not informed of, either the invitation extended to Mr Spacey or the award presented during this private event.’

As he took to the stage at the event to accept his award he blasted Hollywood’s ‘blacklisted culture’ in his speech.

He thanked President and Founder of The Better World Fund Manuel Collas de La Roche in his speech.

He said: ‘I want to thank Manuel, founder of the Better World Fund. What a great name. That an organization focused on doing good around the world is called a Better World. But they aren’t just doing good in name alone. And tonight demonstrates that they are even willing to take risks in doing better.

‘Since being here tonight is very personal to me, I would like to congratulate Manuel for the decision to invite me here tonight to accept this award. I mean, 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? 

‘But here we are. I’ve been thinking about someone else who did what he could to make this a better world, and that was someone you saw earlier on the screen tonight, Kirk Douglas, a great American film star.

‘Now, it was a long, long time ago, so we have to try to remember the pushback that he received after he made the brave decision to stand up for a fellow colleague, the two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who had been blacklisted. 

‘From 1947 until 1960, he was blacklisted. Blacklisted, we know what that means, right?

‘It means that he could not find work as a writer in Hollywood for 13 years. But even after he was warned that if he tried to hire Trumbo as the credited screenwriter for the film, Sparticus, in 1960, he would be called a commi-lover, and his career and professional status would be canceled.

‘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.

‘Ye Kirk said those words in 2014 when he was 98 years old.

‘And of course, people know about Dalton Trumbull and the Hollywood 10, but I suspect very few of you know or have ever heard of the 475 other industry professionals whose lives were damaged or destroyed by false allegations, and they, too, were unable to find work in Hollywood during that very lengthy dark period.

‘And today, we find ourselves once again at the intersection of uncertainty and fear in the film business and beyond.’

Since 2017, more than 30 men have accused the two-time Oscar-winning actor of sexual assault or inappropriate behaviour, which led to Netflix axing his role on House of Cards.

In July 2023, the American Beauty star was found not guilty of assaulting four men after a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court, in one of the UK’s most high-profile #MeToo trials.

The decision to celebrate Spacey by Better World Fund, a charity which aims to make a ‘positive impact on the world’, has sparked outrage, with many calling it a ‘disgrace’ to the MeToo movement.

One person on X wrote: ‘Abusive men in our society are never ‘cancelled’ – honestly losing my mind Cannes.’

Another added: ‘Cannes sh**s the bed every year. Their commitment to being the worst festival and a safe haven for men who belong in hell is unmatched.’

While one person wrote: ‘Kevin Spacey, Ezra Miller, Shia Labeouf and every other Hollywood abuser known to mankind prancing around Cannes but somehow nude and voluminous dresses were the real problem.’

It comes months after the actor was hit with another sexual abuse claim, court records show, 18 months after he was cleared of a series of criminal charges. 

Ruari Cannon is suing Mr Spacey at the High Court, as well as two organisations connected to the Old Vic Theatre in London.

Dushal Mehta, of law firm Fieldfisher, confirmed that he had issued a claim on behalf of Mr Cannon, and also said that he had waived his anonymity in the claim.

No details of the allegations involved are currently available.

Spacey was previously acquitted in criminal proceedings of several sexual offences alleged by four men between 2001 and 2013.

One of the men, who cannot be identified, has also sued Mr Spacey over his claims he was sexually assaulted by the actor and suffered ‘psychiatric damage’, which the actor denies.

The actor has denied all allegations of inappropriate behaviour and criminal wrongdoing.

Spacey’s Academy Awards were for best supporting actor for The Usual Suspects in 1996 and best actor in 2000 for American Beauty, which also secured him a Bafta for leading actor.

Last April, the actor appeared to dismiss claims of inappropriate behaviour in Channel 4’s documentary as he praised the men in the show for their ‘great acting’.

Channel 4’s two-part series came nine months after Mr Spacey was cleared of nine sexual assault charges and looked at fresh claims against him made by several men, ‘almost all of whom have never spoken before’.

It is said to take a ‘forensic look at a man who was once one of the most admired and respected actors in the world’.

But Mr Spacey seemed to disregard the show as a work of fiction in a statement given to entertainment magazine Variety.

He said: ‘I’m honoured to be starring in my first film with Warner Brothers in many years.

‘I hope the Academy takes note of some of the great acting by the lesser-known cast.’

In May 2024, he thanked his fellow actors for defending him amidst the sexual abuse allegations.

A raft of A-listers – including Liam Neeson and Sharon Stone – rallied around the Oscar-winning star to call for an end to his ‘seven-year exile’.

The American Beauty actor went on NewsNation with Chris Cuomo to express his gratitude for the support he received from colleagues.

‘I’m enormously gratified that friends of mine who reached out to me and that I’ve been speaking to for your years now have been motivated by this documentary that was put out.’

Fresh allegations were made against him in a new Channel 4 bombshell documentary – and Mr Spacey accused the broadcaster of ‘having an agenda’ in deciding to go ahead with airing its two-part film, Spacey Unmasked.

The documentary featured previously unheard testimonies about the actor’s alleged inappropriate behaviour.

In an interview with former GB News presenter Dan Wootton, he commented on claims made in an upcoming Channel 4 documentary.

While accepting he may at times have behaved inappropriately in the past, he denied his behaviour was illegal.

Mr Spacey has been cleared of sexual assault in trials in the US and UK.

‘I take full responsibility for my past behaviour and my actions. But I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologise to anyone who’s made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about me.’