Kevin Spacey Returns to Cannes: A Society Comeback Disguised as Incognito

Oysters in Cannes are once again served with a taste of scandal: Kevin Spacey, once Hollywood’s darling and now a figure of society debates, has quietly returned to the scene. His appearance at the Better World Fund gala dinner, where he was presented with an award for “outstanding achievements in film and television,” was perhaps the most modest event on the French Riviera in the entire history of awards dinners.

Of course, the event had nothing to do with the official Cannes Film Festival program—there are just too many plot twists in Spacey’s biography for him to be seen anywhere near the red carpet. Even the paparazzi were bored, lamenting the lack of star power and forced to take selfies with signs reading “I’m photogenic.” There were plenty of guests, but the only recognizable faces were the organizers and the waiters.

Mira Nair, director of “Monsoon Wedding,” admitted she only learned about Spacey’s invitation the day before—and diplomatically expressed happiness not for the laureate, but for the mere fact of attending the banquet.

Spacey himself, maintaining his image as Hollywood’s chief introvert, arrived late, sporting that very smile that keeps Hollywood actors in shape for all the uncomfortable questions. A brief “Thank you for coming”—and a quick maneuver toward dinner, bypassing questions from the press and #MeToo supporters.

The atmosphere was barely livened up by a lone Brazilian eco-activist on the promenade, protesting against Amazon deforestation and unaware of who Kevin Spacey was. Still, even the climate protest seemed to have a better shot at attention than the quiet actor’s comeback.

While some guests puzzled over why they were there, Spacey was tackling harder problems—his return to the industry. The actor was in Cannes not just for the award, but also for a new indie thriller, promoted on the “guerrilla marketing” principle: if anyone talks about the award, maybe they’ll hear about the new film too.

The evening ended in the best tradition of post-irony: the sun was setting, and Spacey was perhaps hoping to see a new dawn. Cannes, like Hollywood, still hasn’t decided whether it’s ready to pretend nothing ever happened.