Kevin Spacey's Cannes Appearance Is Raising Eyebrows

Kevin Spacey is making a surprise appearance in Cannes to receive a lifetime achievement award, a particularly notable development considering the actor has been accused of inappropriate behavior by more than 30 men since 2017. Spacey will be honored at the Better World Fund's 10th anniversary gala; while not officially part of the Cannes Film Festival, the gala will be held amidst the festival at the Carlton Hotel, where many festival events are held. The Guardian calls Spacey's award possibly "one of the most high-profile 'uncancellings' of the #MeToo era." The producer for Spacey's new film, The Awakening, calls it a "guerrilla marketing" stunt, the AV Club reports.

That's because Spacey will also attend the film festival—for the first time since 2016—to promote The Awakening, so the producer is hoping the attention around the award will bring more hype to the movie. "The guy that runs [the Better World Fund] is a big fan of Kevin and I just said, 'Look, here's a crazy idea: if I asked him to come, what can you do for him?'" he tells Variety. "So it kind of happened organically." It's also possible Spacey, who has been found not guilty in both the US and the UK, will walk the Cannes red carpet, though Deadline reports that's not yet been confirmed. (More Kevin Spacey stories.)