Shamed Kevin Spacey slams Hollywood ‘blacklist culture' & says ‘I'm still standing' as he wins Cannes award
The 65-year-old whose career stalled over multiple sex assault claims, signed off his lifetime achievement award speech with a nod to friend Sir Elton John's hit.
2
2
He was acquitted on nine charges in 2023, is still involved in a civil trial over another allegation from 2008 and has admitted being 'too handsy' and 'pushing the boundaries'.
Yet, in receiving his Better World Fund award at a private event, he said: 'Who would have ever thought that honouring someone who has been exonerated in every single courtroom he's ever walked into would be thought of as a brave idea?'
He claimed a 'blacklist culture' still existed in the film industry, comparing it to the 1950s McCarthy era in the US when actors suspected of Communist sympathies were outlawed.
The double Oscar-winner said: 'They, too, were unable to find work in Hollywood during that very lengthy dark period.
'Today, we find ourselves once again at the intersection of uncertainty and fear in the film business.'
Social media users took aim at the decision to honour Spacey.
One X user called it 'another embarrassing chapter in recent history'.
Another wrote: 'Abusive men in our society are never cancelled.'
The gala dinner was not an official Cannes event.
A spokesman 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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Norwegian rocker Glam apologises to Julia Morris and says he was 'blind drunk' when shock Eurovision 2005 groping incident occurred
A Norwegian rock singer has apologised after he was publicly called out by Julia Morris for groping her during a live interview at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005. Earlier this week, Morris, 57, shared footage to social media of the disturbing incident, which saw Nilsen touch and kiss her without permission during an interview, and slammed his behaviour. Wig Wam vocalist Åge Sten 'Glam' Nilsen, 55, exclusively told Daily Mail that his behaviour in the interview did not reflect his true character, as his senses were impaired during the incident. 'What's missing [from Morris' account] is that BBC knew I was blind drunk at an afterparty, in costume and in character as my alter ego Glam,' Nilsen said. 'What could possibly go wrong? I apologised 19 years ago in a BBC interview about the interview, and just did again.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Julia Morris (@ladyjuliamorris) He added that at the time he thought it was a piece of 'theatre' and the actions did not reflect his true character. 'That doesn't take away my responsibility for my character's improper behaviour though. It was rock 'n roll theatre and I thought BBC was in on it,' he said. It comes after Morris opened up about the shocking incident, in which the rock singer groped her during a live interview. The footage, filmed backstage in Kyiv while she was hosting Eurovision coverage for the BBC, shows Glam entering the frame with a lit cigarette, before climbing on top of Morris as she sits on a couch. 'Oh my God, what a lovely surprise!' Morris said in her signature upbeat tone as Glam proceeded to straddle her and cradle her face. The situation escalated as Glam kissed her on the cheek, put his arm around her, stroked her leg and, at one point, touched her chest - all while she remained visibly composed. Morris captioned the footage with some shocking words: 'Eurovision 2005, Kyiv. BBC. What a treat to turn up to work and be touched and disrespected by an all time f***wit. 'Looking like I'm having fun is part of my job, but my not flinching is how common this behaviour was. I had a miscarriage the week before this, so being SA'd [sexually assaulted] live on tele was all I needed.' Wig Wam vocalist Åge Sten 'Glam' Nilsen told Daily Mail that his behaviour in the interview did not reflect his true character She later told that she felt she had to maintain an upbeat demeanour as part of her presenter role during the incident. 'What's really spooky is, I don't even flinch. I suppose as a stand-up comedian, reading a room and adjusting is [the role]. What was I supposed to do?' Morris said. She added that she was going through a particularly difficult time during the incident which left her feeling vulnerable. 'I was trying to make sure my pad didn't move, because I had a miscarriage the week before,' she said. 'I had to have a massive f***ing pad. I mean, enormous. 'And so, when old mate jumped on top of me, all I was thinking was, "My god, he's going to squeeze it [the pad] out the back." And all the while he is touching up my t*ts... And I was getting in trouble from the producers.' She said there was now more awareness about how unacceptable this kind of behaviour was following the #MeToo movement, but revealed that back then it was not acceptable to speak out. 'You didn't have a voice. You certainly don't have a choice of "Don't speak to me like that",' she explained. ''A lot of young people now are like, "We're the first to speak up about this." And it's like, "No, we all tried, we just got fired".'
Daily Mail
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Aussie reality TV star welcomes son five years after ex-fiancé's death: 'We are so in love with you'
Milly Johnson has welcomed her third child with her partner Justin Hart, five years after the death of her former fiancé Micah Downey. The 29-year-old former Bride and Prejudice star shared the joyful news on Wednesday, posting a series of sweet photos to social media showing the couple doting on their newborn son. In one tender image, Milly is seen cradling her baby from a hospital bed while Justin lovingly looks on and another shot shows the proud mum beaming as she cuddles the infant. She captioned the post with a heartfelt message revealing the name of their little one: 'Introducing our little man Benny Johnson Hart. 'We are so in love with you,' Milly added alongside a love heart emoji. Many of Milly's followers took to the comments section to congratulate her. 'Awwwww he's adorable! Congrats lovely! Love the name,' one person wrote. 'So happy for you guys,' a second added. Milly already shares two sons with her late ex-fiancé Micah, who tragically passed away in December 2019 from a drug overdose at just 26. In 2021, Milly opened up about her struggle with depression after the sudden death of her former fiancé. In a candid social media post, she detailed her experience in the hope that it would help others. She explained that it was only after she was prescribed antidepressants that she started feeling better. 'Experiencing depression or anxiety as we all know is very normal and everyone experiences some form of that in their lifetime,' she wrote in a lengthy post. Milly already shares two sons with her late fiancé Micah, who tragically passed away in 2019 from a drug overdose at just 26 'But if it consumes your life for months on end then that's where something isn't right and needs addressing.' Milly acknowledged that there's no one-size-fits-all remedy, and encouraged people to do what's best for them. 'Yes, ideally most people would love to be all natural. For me personally, antidepressants was the best thing I ever did,' she continued. 'Who knows if I'll be on it forever or one day try wean myself off but for now I'm content with the idea I may take it for the rest of my life.' Micah died on December 28, 2019, after taking a mixture of illegal and prescription drugs. Milly later gave birth to the couple's second son on January 27, 2020, naming him Micah Harper Johnson in honour of his late father. She also has a seven-year-old son, Jules, who she also shares with Micah. 'It is so sad and unbelievably surreal that I am making this post. On the 28th of December 2019, Micah passed away,' Milly announced on Instagram on New Year's Eve in 2019. The former couple appeared on the 2019 season of the Channel Seven reality TV series Bride and Prejudice, but their relationship didn't last and they split before walking down the aisle.
The Review Geek
43 minutes ago
- The Review Geek
The Assassin – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review
The Yellow Letter Episode 4 of The Assassin starts where we left off with Edward shooting, but misses Damian. Luckily, the shot distracts Damian, giving Julie time to overpower him and take the gun. Julie shoots Damian in the stomach, making him beg for his life, saying he can help them disappear. Julie wants to kill Damian, but Edward thinks they should just leave since he is hurt and unarmed. They enter Damian's truck and drive to Athens, where Julie has a safe house. In France, Kayla arrives at their villa. Ezra tries to make a conversation, but Kayla wants to sleep. However, he piques her interest when he mentions that Jasper called about Chantaine. Ezra worries that they might be in danger, and the only way out is to figure out everything about Chantaine. He tells Ezra about seeing a letter Aaron hid in the safe, saying they might know something if they read it. Ezra says that regardless, they are secure in the house since Aaron has added security around the villa. Just then, one of the guards, Chris, receives a call from Marie after he sends him a considerable amount of money. Chris confirms that he's got the money and will update Marie once the job is done. In Athens, Julie makes a questionable meat sandwich, which Edward turns down. Sirus arrives carrying a pizza box, but inside there is no pizza, but guns. Julie chooses one, and Sirus leaves. Edward wonders why Julie needs another weapon, but she says it is for Edward to keep himself safe. Julie tries to teach Edward how to shoot, but it does not go well. Julie reminds Edward that the people after her, including Edward, will use anything to get to her. Kayla asks Aaron about the safe, the letter, and Chantaine in France. She makes Aaron open the safe, but the letter is no longer in there. Aaron says that there was no yellow envelope like Ezra had insinuated. He also adds that he did not put out a kill order for Kayla. She is his daughter and would never do anything to hurt her or Ezra. In Tripoli, Jasper tries to get to the boat and sneak out of Libya. He sees someone asking around for him, so he runs back and makes a phone call to Ezra again. Before he could tell him much, the person looking for him entered the shop, so Jasper cut the call short, promising to call back at five in the evening. Edward does not like running for the rest of his life. He storms out of the house to look for a telephone and calls Kayla. Kayla doesn't want to talk to him, but Ezra picks up the call. Meanwhile, the news report on the shooting in Greece names Edward and Julie as the main suspects. Ezra tells Edward about Chantaine and Jasper, so they agree that Edward should join the call later. After Edward hangs up the phone, he notices that the restaurant owner is on a call and sees his face on the news report. Edward rushes out but can't return to the safehouse because the police are everywhere. He runs up an abandoned building with the police on the trail. On the rooftop, Edward is trapped. He's forced to jump from one building to the next to escape the police. Meanwhile, Chris walks into Aaron's office and tries to shoot him. Aaron hides under his desk and calls for help. Ezra appears, overpowers Chris, and kills him by hitting his head with a statue. Aaron is impressed. About Chantaine, Aaron tells Ezra that he should make Kayla stop asking about it because it would be the end of everything they have built if he ever got out. Aaron also tells him he should stay vigilant because he will take over the empire when the time is right. Back at the safe house, Julie is relieved when Edward makes it back. They feel closer as Edward hugs her, excitedly discussing jumping across buildings. Julie asks for Edward's opinion on what they should do next. Edward tells her about Jasper and says they should wait for his call to learn what Chantaine is about before they plan their next moves. When Jasper calls Ezra, he connects the call to Edward. Jasper proves that he knows about Chantaine, saying that he blackmailed Aaron with it and was released from prison, and there are people after him. Since Athens is closer, Ezra promises to send Jasper some money so he can meet up with Edward and tell them what he knows. In France, Kayla keeps Aaron company after his brush with death. Aaron makes it his mission to find out who wants them dead. Kayla apologises for accusing Aaron of the hit on her. She pours Aaron a drink and spikes it with something. Meanwhile, Ezra is looking through his drug stash for Ketamine, which is what Kayla put in Aaron's drink. Ezra is high on the news about taking over CGM. He calls Marie to tell her all about it. Ezra also tells her about Edward's location when he meets Jasper. After ending the call, Ezra calls the number Marie had given and orders a hit on Jasper. Kayla helps a drunk Aaron back into the house, and he falls asleep on the sofa. Kayla uses the chance to search Aaron's office for the letter, finally finding it in Aaron's pocket. As she reads the letter, a look of horror is on her face. The next morning, Aaron is terrified to find that the letter and Kayla are missing. Julie organises new passports for her and Edward. The next morning, Edward meets with Jasper, who has managed to get to Athens by boat. Jasper becomes suspicious of Edward when he says he doesn't have the money. Edward tries to convince Jasper to follow him back to the safe house so they can figure everything out, but Jasper pulls out a knife. Julie watches their conversation closely and notices a suspicious woman heading towards them. Julie soon realises the woman is an assassin and shoots at her. Jasper and Edward run, and Julie chases after the woman. At the end of the episode, Julie chases after the woman and calls out to Edward. The Episode Review The stakes are slowly rising as we gear up for the finale. Aaron has been acting cross since we first met him. While he comes off as sincere, we are not sure if he is behind Kayla's assassination attempt. However, we know he wants Jasper dead. On the other hand, Marie wants Aaron dead, and she is willing to pay top dollar for it. I think it was ballsy of her to sleep with his son and get inside the house to plan her mission. Still, we don't know her motives. Damian underestimated Julie and learned a lesson. Never underestimate a mama bear, especially one who is a trained assassin! Although this is not ideal bonding, Edward and Julie are becoming closer. They are learning to depend on each other, but there are still many secrets between them. Ezra messed up when he called a hit on Jasper. Kayla found what she was looking for, but it might be better if she didn't know. Whatever it is, she looks extremely shaken by the contents of the letter.
