logo
Kevin Spacey And Shia LaBeouf At Cannes: Opinion

Kevin Spacey And Shia LaBeouf At Cannes: Opinion

Buzz Feed22-05-2025
Note: This post is an Op-Ed and shares the author's personal views. Discussion of sexual abuse.
Listen, I know that looking for feminism at the Cannes Film Festival might be like looking for oranges at the scrap heap. But, for the love of god, Kevin Spacey was just awarded with the "excellence in film and television" lifetime achievement award at the Better World Fund's gala dinner.
Well, surely Spacey must have been in some wonderous film or TV show as of late? No, of course he hasn't. Since 2017, the actor has faced numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, starting with actor Anthony Rapp accusing him of making a "sexual advance" towards him when he was 14.
Now, Spacey was found not liable for sexual battery against Rapp. Criminal charges against him were dropped in Massachusetts. He was also cleared of all sexual assault charges in a UK trial against four men. Spacey himself has consistently denied allegations of misconduct.
But that's not the end of his legal woes. He's currently facing at least two civil lawsuits in the UK alleging sexual abuse. In total, Spacey has been accused of sexual misconduct by over 30 men. This includes his LA Confidential costar Guy Pearce, to which Spacey said, "Grow up. You are not a victim."
So, what did ol' Kev spend his time in Cannes doing? Comparing himself to artists who had been blacklisted during the McCarthy era. Spacey said in a speech of one such person, "He couldn't find work in Hollywood for 13 years... There are times when one has to stand up for principle. I've learned a lot from history — it often repeats itself. The blacklist was a terrible time in our history so that it never happens again."
The award was, as per a Vulture writer in attendance, "an 'engagement award' for 'people who have engaged, inspired, and mobilized for a cause.'" The emcee even spoke about victims of violence.
Yes, folks, losing your career because you might be a communist is totally the same thing as being #MeToo-ed. It feeds into other antagonistic language I've heard about the movement: That it's a witch hunt, that victims can just say any old thing and ruin men's lives. Never mind that serious abuse allegations don't stop you from being President of the goddamn United States, no, won't someone think of the men! Never even consider how many talented people we may have lost because of mistreatment.
I swear to god if someone comments about how "Believe All Women" is wrong — THAT'S NOT THE SLOGAN.
Now, to the credit of the festival itself, it's worth noting that the award ceremony was not an official event. In a statement to the Guardian from the festival read, 'The Festival de Cannes had no involvement in, and was not informed of, either the invitation extended to Mr Spacey or the award presented during this private event.'
But let's take a moment to look back. In 2024 — the year after Johnny Depp presented his movie Jeanne du Barry — Variety wrote that the festival began as the "belated" #MeToo movement came to the French film industry. This year continues in that suit: previous Cannes fixture Gerard Depardieu recently began his 18-mont suspended sentence for sexual assault.
There's also been a parliamentary inquiry into the entertainment industry, which found misconduct to be "endemic." Inquiry chairwoman Sandrine Rousseau subsequently said, "The Cannes Film Festival must be the place where this shift in mindset happens; the place where we say loud and clear ... amid the glitter and the red carpets ... that finally, we all want things to change: every one of us, at every level of the industry."
As per Variety, the festival issued a rule for this year "banning filmmakers or talent accused of sexual misconduct from walking the red carpet and presenting films at the festival." Actor Theo Navarro-Mussy was subsequently barred from the premiere of Case 137 as he had been accused of rape and sexual assault (though the charges were dropped, his accusers reportedly plan to appeal).
It hasn't been foolproof. Ezra Miller, who walked down the red carpet of Die My Love, and who's faced allegations of abuse and grooming. Then there's Shia LaBeouf, who attended the red carpet for The Phoenician Scheme, despite the fact that he's set to go to trial against his ex, FKA Twigs, later this year in a case where she has alleged sexual assault and battery. To add insult to injury, LaBeouf is at the center of a documentary that also debuted at Cannes this year called Slauson Rec, which reportedly features him screaming and behaving violently towards his acting students.
Shia also attended the photo call for the documentary.
The real cherry on this shit sundae is that the splashiest new rule at Cannes was that the dress code had been updated to bar nudity and voluminous dresses. Many took this to be on a comment on the presence of female nipples we've seen in recent years on the red carpet. It's funny what's considered bad behavior, isn't it?
But hey, maybe my hopes are too high! If someone says they want to "guarantee that the films submitted have respected and continue respecting the safety, integrity and dignity of all contributors," then why on earth would I expect them to actually do something about it?
BuzzFeed has reached out to representatives for the Cannes Film Festival for comment.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Dakota Johnson-Pedro Pascal rom-com 'Materialists' now on VOD
Dakota Johnson-Pedro Pascal rom-com 'Materialists' now on VOD

UPI

time19 hours ago

  • UPI

Dakota Johnson-Pedro Pascal rom-com 'Materialists' now on VOD

1 of 5 | Dakota Johnson, seen at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, stars in "Materialists." File Photo by Rune Hellestad/UPI | License Photo July 22 (UPI) -- A24 announced Tuesday that Materialists is now available to rent or buy on video-on-demand retailers. The price is $19.99 to rent and $24.99 to own. Retailers include Apple TV+, Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and cable or satellite providers. The film opened June 13 in theaters. Dakota Johnson plays a matchmaker who falls for the brother (Pedro Pascal) of one of her clients. A love triangle forms when her ex-boyfriend (Chris Evans) returns into her life and they reconnect. UPI praised writer/director Celine Song's film in its review, highlighting her poignant take on the contradictions of turning love into a for-profit service. The focus on matchmaking also challenged some of the conventions of Hollywood love stories. Materialists will be on Blu-ray in September. The Blu-ray is available for pre-order. A24 also sells Materialists merchandise including a hat for the fictional Adore matchmaking service, silver heart ring, T-shirt and vinyl soundtrack.

A-lister antics and Schedule A shenanigans
A-lister antics and Schedule A shenanigans

The Verge

timea day ago

  • The Verge

A-lister antics and Schedule A shenanigans

Summer blockbusters like the new Superman and Jurassic World movies may be doing great at the box office, but promoting them is more complicated than ever. The old celebrity playbook of magazine profiles, TV chat shows, and press junkets isn't enough in an era of audience fragmentation. Publicists now have to strategize which podcasts to make time for, and whether their clients will eat chicken on YouTube with Amelia Dimoldenberg or Sean Evans. This week on The Vergecast, guest host Mia Sato talks to Vulture's Fran Hoepfner to break down the ever-changing new media circuit, whether you're a beloved A-lister, a formerly beloved A-lister, or an aspiring Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Overcast | Pocket Casts | More Then, we take a deep dive with Sarah Fackrell into a controversial legal tactic brands are using to go after online sellers hawking everything from Grumpy Cat T-shirts to closet hooks. Finally, Victoria Song joins Mia to answer a Vergecast hotline from a listener wondering whether an AI translator will be able to keep up with his partner's Colombian mother. If you've got a question for us, call 866-VERGE11 or e-mail vergecast@ Want to learn more about what we talk about today? Here are some links to get you started:

Mariska Hargitay Jokes Only ‘Younger People' Didn't Know Her Mom Was Jayne Mansfield
Mariska Hargitay Jokes Only ‘Younger People' Didn't Know Her Mom Was Jayne Mansfield

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

Mariska Hargitay Jokes Only ‘Younger People' Didn't Know Her Mom Was Jayne Mansfield

NEED TO KNOW Mariska Hargitay joked that only "younger people" didn't know her mom was Jayne Mansfield during a Q&A following a special screening of her documentary My Mom Jayne on July 17 Mansfield, who died in 1967 at age 34, was a Hollywood icon who starred in films including Promises! Promises! and Too Hot to Handle In My Mom Jayne, which marked Mariska's feature film directorial debut, she examines her mother's life — and reveals a shocking family secretMariska Hargitay's mother, Jayne Mansfield, may be a Hollywood icon — but her fan base runs a bit older. While taking part in a Q&A hosted by HamptonsFilm on Thursday, July 17, Mariska, 61, joked about how not everyone knew that Mansfield was her mom when her revealing documentary, My Mom Jayne, premiered earlier this year. After panel host Molly Jong-Fast noted that "a lot of people had no idea that [Mansfield] was your mom" despite the fact that she's "really, really famous," Mariska replied, "Only younger people don't know. The kids don't know." The discussion followed a special screening of My Mom Jayne at Guild Hall in East Hampton. The documentary, which marked Mariska's feature film directorial debut, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17 ahead of its debut on HBO and Max on June 27. In a press release announcing the documentary, Mariska said, 'This movie is a labor of love and longing. It's a search for the mother I never knew, an integration of a part of myself I'd never owned, and a reclaiming of my mother's story and my own truth." Mansfield — who rose to fame as a Playboy model and an actress, known for such films as Too Hot to Handle and Promises! Promises! — died at age 34 in a car crash in 1967. Mariska, who was 3 at the time, and her two older brothers were in the car and survived the accident. "I've spent my whole life distancing myself from my mother, Jayne Mansfield, the sex symbol," Mariska says in the film's trailer. "Her career made me want to do it differently, but I want to understand her now." "I don't have any memories of her," she adds. In the documentary, Mariska also revealed a shocking family secret that she kept for 30 years. She explained that her biological father is not Mickey Hargitay, the man who raised her, but rather a former Las Vegas entertainer named Nelson Sardelli. She told Vanity Fair that she first learned about Sardelli when she was 25 and then went to see him perform in Atlantic City, N.J., when she was 30. While Sardelli had an emotional reaction to their meeting, telling her, 'I've been waiting 30 years for this moment" — Mariska grappled with "knowing I'm living a lie my entire life." During her discussion with Jong-Fast on Thursday, Mariska shared that she spent Father's Day with Sardelli, 90, this year. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "It was so magical," she recalled. "He apologized and he said, 'Thank you for forgiving me.' And I said, 'Thank you for making the choice that you made.' " "So it's like everyone was right in the end, but I grew up not knowing that," she added. The panel discussion was part of HamptonsFilm's Summer Docs Screening Series. On Aug. 29, Middletown directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss and film subject Jeff Dutemple will join Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) co-chair Alec Baldwin and artistic director David Nugent in conversation. Richard Gladstein, the new executive director of HamptonsFilms and HIFF, told PEOPLE: "We have a nice platform from which to show our films. And why do films want to come to film festivals? You create buzz and word of mouth about your film. That's what happens at film festivals. You discover films and filmmakers." Read the original article on People

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store