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Kevin Spacey has been awarded a lifetime achievement award in Italy – days after he appeared in court in the UK to deny allegations of sexual assault.
In his first official engagement since the #MeToo-era allegations surfaced, the 63-year-old visited Turin where he was honored with an award for his contribution to the growth of cinema.
The two-time Academy Award winner was also slated to teach a master class and perform a screening of the 1999 film American Beauty.
It comes after Spacey appeared at London’s Southwark Crown Court via video link on Friday to deny three counts of sexual assault, three counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without their consent.
He had previously denied five other allegations in the UK.
During a speech before receiving his award Monday night, Spacey — who hasn’t made a formal public speaking engagement since sexual assault allegations surfaced in 2017 — denied withdrawing from public life.
Speaking to local news agency Ansa, he said: “I live my life every single day, go to restaurants, meet people, drive, play tennis and have always been able to meet generous, genuine, compassionate people.
“I didn’t hide, I didn’t go to live in a cave.”
Photo: Fans take a selfie with Kevin Spacey
Spacey, who received the Mole Antonelliana Lifetime Achievement Award at Turin’s National Cinema Museum, thanked the venue for inviting him “le palle” — Italian for “balls.”
“My heart goes out to the Museum of Cinema because it had the ‘simplicity’ to invite me tonight,” he told the audience.
He also thanked Museum Director Domenico De Gaetano and Head of International Relations Marco Falanca for organizing the event.
“By presenting this award, they are staunch advocates of artistic achievement and for this they should be applauded,” he said.
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Spacey also made a special mention of his director, Evan Lowenstein.
He said, “Evan didn’t just stand by me. He stood in front of me when I needed to drive and he stood behind me when I needed to push.”
Spacey, who lost his starring role in House of Cards after the allegations, has been filming his latest film, director Franco Nero’s The Man Who Drew God, in Turin.
On Sunday, he visited the Turin Olympic Football Stadium to play his match in the Italian League against Spezia, where he took a picture of him with the club’s shirt emblazoned with his name.
Spacey is set to stand trial in London in June on dozens of charges alleging he sexually assaulted four men between 2001 and 2013, including when he was artistic director of the city’s Old Vic theatre.
He has pleaded not guilty.
In October, a federal jury in a New York civil case found Spacey not liable for allegations of sexual abuse by actor Anthony Rapp, dating back to when both were relatively unknown actors on Broadway in 1986 and Rapp was 14 years old.
Spacey earlier faced allegations in Massachusetts that he groped a man at a bar.
Prosecutors later dropped the charges.
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