Kevin Spacey Wins Award for Role in Recent Thriller as Hollywood Comeback Continues

Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey continues his Hollywood comeback following accusations of sexual misconduct and has been awarded the Best Thriller Performance at the Folkestone Independent Film Awards. While the event itself has yet to take place, it has been revealed by Variety that Spacey will be the recipient of the award for his performance in last year’s Control.

Released in 2023, Control was Spacey’s first role following his acquittal of sexual assault charges, with nine charges leveled against him from his time working at London’s Old Vic theatre. Written and directed by Gene Fallaize and starring Lauren Metcalfe (The Trial of Christine Keeler, War of the Worlds), Mark Hampton (This England, Liaison) alongside Spacey, Control follows the British Home Secretary Stella Simmons who, as she drives home one night after engaging in an affair with the Prime Minister, is contacted by a mysterious man who remotely hijacks her self-driving car, forcing her on a rampage through London.

Spacey stars as the “mysterious man” with the actor providing a voice role only and never seen on screen. The movie itself has also been awarded the gong for Best Thriller. At the time, Fallaize defended casting Spacey in the movie and felt it was worth the risk of controversy.

“Well, I mean it was a risk and we knew it was a risk at the time. We had no shortage of people saying to us, ‘Ooh that’s a risky move.’ But a good friend of mine, who used to be an exec at one of the studios, I had a frank discussion with him, and I said, ‘Look, what do you think? Is this going to be a bad career move, because people are saying to me that it could affect my career forever?’ And he said that he thought it was genius casting because if he gets found not guilty you will have got a clean Kevin Spacey in a way that you would never normally have been able to get him.”

Kevin Spacey Continues His Hollywood Comeback

Kevin Spacey’s career has largely been stalled since 2018, when the first accusations against him first emerged. Those allegations began after Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of making sexual advances towards him in the 1980s when Rapp was underage. Rapp went on to sue Spacey for sexual assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, however, he was found not liable on all counts.

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The award for his performance in Control is not the only trophy set to land on Spacey’s mantel, with the American Beautyand House of Cards star also set to receive the lifetime achievement award as part of the Nations Awards in Taormina, Sicily. Organisers Michel Curatolo and Marco Fallanca have since defended the controversial choice saying…

“Kevin Spacey is a timeless monument in film and theater history, who unquestionably deserves the chance to get his career back.”

Spacey continues to make his way back into the spotlight, starring in Peter Five Eight, which was released on March 22, 2024, and will play The Devil himself in the upcoming thriller, The Contract, from Italian filmmaker Massimiliano Caroletti.