Actor Kevin Spacey became emotional after receiving an award on Monday night in a special honorary event conducted by Italy’s National Cinema Museum in Turin. Spacey has been keeping a low profile after several accusations of sexual misconduct. Last evening’s appearance was the first time he attended a major public event in five years.
Spacey extended his gratitude to the museum’s director Domenico De Gaetano and head of international relations Marco Fallanca. About 400 guests arrived at the venue of Turin’s Mole Antonelliana where the cinema museum is located.
Kevin Spacey Receives Lifetime Achievement Award In Italy
In his acceptance speech, Kevin Spacey thanked the organizers for the award bestowed upon him. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award. In a report from Deadline, the actor said:
“My heart is very full toward the Museum of Cinema for having had the “palle” (balls) to invite me tonight. By presenting this award, they are making a strong defense of artistic achievement and for that, they should be applauded. I just want to say how grateful I am to my friends and my colleagues and my friends’ friends and colleagues who have flown in to be here tonight… I am moved by all of you being here.”
Spacey also honored his manager and friend Evan Lowenstein who was also present at the event:
“There is one person I must point out tonight because when you have a best friend like I do in Evan Lowenstein, life can be pretty special, and working through any challenge is worth the effort. Evan gives me so much advice, counsel, perspective.”
The string of controversies that followed Spacey’s life over the past years affected his career. He took the moment to share what Lowenstein means to him:
“He has not only stood beside me. He has stood in front of me when I needed to be led, and behind me when I needed to be shoved.”
The actor ended his acceptance speech and started to share some anecdotes from his forty years of working in the show business industry in the form of a Q&A interview. He talked about his performances in some of the projects he worked on, such as American Beauty, House of Cards, and The Usual Suspects.
Kevin Spacey’s Passion For The Theater Arts
Kevin Spacey revealed that his mother had the greatest influence on him as to why he pursued acting.
“She used to take me to the cinema in Santa Monica. It was where I discovered Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey, and all these amazing films and genres.”
He also revealed that Jack Lemmon was a huge inspiration. When Spacey won the Best Actor award at the Oscars in 2000, he thanked Lemmon in his speech. The actor enjoyed the fame and the people’s appreciation of his works. He also talked about the time he became the artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre Company in London.
According to Spacey, movies are wonderful, but after shooting for days, they do not see the actors again. Unlike in theater, one can see the growth and changes of your fellow actors. “You’re also in front of a different audience every night. It’s not static. It’s alive,” he added.
Spacey starred in Franco Nero’s The Man Who Drew God, which premiered at the Torino Film Festival in December.
Source: Deadline
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