Kevin Spacey thanked his “The Man Who Drew God” (“L’uomo che disegnò Dio”) co-star/director Franco Nero for having “the guts” to cast him in the movie while accepting his Maximo Excellent award at the 2025 Italian Global Series Festival on Monday.
The disgraced actor noted how the filmmaker “stepped up to cast me a few years ago when very few had the guts, and I thank him for that.” Nero wrote, directed and starred in the 2022 drama alongside Spacey and Faye Dunaway.
The former “House of Cards” star further praised Italy itself for welcoming him, saying, “This award tonight means a lot to me because Italy holds a spacial place in my heart … I love coming to this country, whether just to visit or I have a job. I’ve shot many films in Italy.”
He concluded his speech in Riccione: “As I say to Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman when asked, ‘Where are we headed?’ I simply respond with, ‘You’ll see.’”
Spacey’s career in Hollywood has gone downhill since 2017, when actor Anthony Rapp accused him of making sexual advances toward him when he was just 14. They then faced off in a civil trial in 2022, where Spacey was found not liable. He was also acquitted of sexually assaulting four men in the U.K. in 2023, and the actor has denied all similar allegations made against him.
Meanwhile, Evangeline Lilly canceled her IGSF appearance due to health reasons, though fellow Maximo Excellence Award recipients Adjoa Andoh and Özge Gürel were able to receive theirs.
Spacey previously accepted the Nations Award for Lifetime Achievement in Taormina last July.
