rewrite this title Kevin Spacey gets a standing ovation during ‘cancel culture’ lecture at Oxford in first stage appearance since being cleared of sexual assault – days after his film premiere was scrapped by West End venue because they were ‘horrified’ to be linked to him

Actor Kevin Spacey received a standing ovation at a conference on ‘cancel culture’ at Oxford University in his first appearance on stage since being cleared of sexual assault.

It came just days after a West End cinema refused to host the premiere of a British film after saying it was “horrified” to learn it starred the House actor of Cards.

Spacey, 64, was said to be “deeply moved” by his return to the stage in Britain, where he performed a five-minute scene from Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens at Oxford University on Monday evening.

The speech was delivered at the Sheldonian Theater in memory of the late philosopher Sir Roger Scruton who, following a “blockbuster” interview in the New Statesman magazine, was “cancelled” as a government adviser.

Conservative philosopher Scruton, who died aged 75 in 2020, had to clear his name after being sacked as a government adviser over false allegations of anti-Semitism.

Kevin Spacey was cleared of sexually assaulting four men following a trial at Southwark Crown Court in July this year.

Conservative columnist Douglas Murray, who invited Spacey to perform, said the show was about the consequences of when “society abandons a person for no reason” and that the issue was on the minds of both Spacey and Roger Scruton. The temperature reports.

Shakespeare’s tragedy Timon of Athens, which Spacey cited in reference to his own experiences, is about a rich and revered man who was later shunned by his peers.

Spacey’s friend Murray Miller, an “anti-woke” activist and director of the Free Speech Union, gave a speech at the theater saying people were trying to “throw away our most talented people with such ease.” The telegraph reports.

Spacey, who was a visiting professor at Oxford, was acquitted of a series of sexual assaults following a trial at Southwark Crown Court this year.

The Prince Charles cinema near Leicester Square, London, canceled the November world premiere of the low-budget film Control, in which Spacey plays a stranger who remotely hijacks the Home Secretary’s self-driving car.

Independent cinema, known for its offbeat film events, has been accused of trying to “cancel” Spacey.

Control stars Welsh actress Lauren Metcalfe as a British politician who is kidnapped by an invisible hijacker, played by Spacey, while taking the controls of his self-driving car.

The speech was delivered at the Sheldonian Theater in memory of the late philosopher Sir Roger Scruton (pictured) who, following a ‘blockbuster job’ interview, was ‘canceled’ as a government adviser.

Spacey himself does not appear in the film – he is only heard on phone calls with Metcalfe’s character as he pilots his car around London.

But in an email to Ms Metcalfe, Prince Charles’ boss Mr Lynn said the cinema could not host the film’s premiere because of his co-star.

He wrote: “We have a problem. It is with my apologies that I must inform you that we have canceled your rental with us.

“Last night we learned that your film stars Kevin Spacey, specifically his first film since the trial.

“My team and I are horrified that we are being mentioned in the same breath as his new film for the premiere.”

The Sunday Telegraph, which first reported the story, contacted Mr Lynn for comment and was told: “There is no story here.”

Ms Metcalfe told the newspaper: “He (Spacey) has been proven innocent and who are they to say otherwise? Kevin Spacey did nothing wrong.

The film will now premiere at Genesis Cinema in Bethnal Green.

Director Gene Fallaize wrote in an Instagram post: “The world premiere of #controlmovie will now take place at the larger Genesis Cinema on November 14th for a number of reasons, including overwhelming demand for tickets, so thank you everyone for your support , and now we can attract more of you!’

Shakespeare’s tragedy Timon of Athens, which Spacey cited in reference to his own experiences, is about a rich and revered man who was later shunned by his peers.

The Prince Charles Cinema is just off Leicester Square in the heart of London

Spacey was found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men following a trial in July at Southwark Crown Court.

He had been accused of abusing his fame and power to carry out the nine attacks against his accusers during his tenure as artistic director of the Old Vic theatre.

But he called the claims “madness” and accused those who supported them of lying for financial gain.

In addition to being acquitted by an English judge earlier this year, Spacey last year won a civil lawsuit brought by stage actor Anthony Rapp, the first person to publicly accuse the actor of sexual assault in 2017.

But the damage was already done: the accusations derailed Spacey’s successful showbiz career, in which he had starred in major films such as The Usual Suspects and American Beauty, for which he won Oscars.

He also won gongs and nods for his turn as Frank Underwood in the Netflix-produced American remake of House of Cards, and has won acclaim for his stage appearances in a number of stage productions.

Spacey and his production companies have been ordered to pay $31 million (£25.5 million) to House of Cards producers MRC for violating their sexual harassment policy.

MRC said it was presented with credible allegations of inappropriate behavior by Spacey during filming — conduct that “constituted a material breach of his acting and executive producer agreements,” the website reported. entertainment news Deadline.

Spacey was rushed to the hospital earlier this month after reportedly suffering a health issue at a film festival.