Kevin Spacey told a masterclass at the Italian Global Series cinema event in Riccione Wednesday that he forgave those who immediately branded him guilty of abuse in the alleged abuse cases which have predominantly ended with his acquittal, and bore them no grudge.
    The experiences of the last seven years, said the 65-year-old Seven, Usual Suspects, American Beauty and House of Cards star, "have allowed me to stop and go back to reflecting and listening.
    "I am very grateful for the work I can do today on and off the screen, I am full of gratitude for the people who have been by my side and who have waited for the outcome of the trials before judging me, I will trust them for the rest of my life.
    "Those who immediately treated me as guilty have my forgiveness but I will not look for those people again".
    Answering questions from the director of the festival Marco Spagnoli, the iconic actor discussed the trials he has faced in the US and Great Britain in recent years where he was accused of sexual harassment and abuse of young men, which have so far largely ended with not guilty verdicts (there are still two cases open in Great Britain, ed.).
    The last seven years, Spacey said, "have been incredible.

They have put me to the test but they have allowed me to discover what true friendship is, I got closer to my family, to myself.
    "Now I am neither resentful nor angry, I do not seek revenge but more loving and understanding.
    "I try to understand rather than judge.
    "The media have their objectives, whatever they are, but I feel welcomed by people, as has also happened here".
    The actor, winner of, among others, two Oscars (for The Usual Suspects and American Beauty), who received the Maximo Excellence Award at the Riccione festival, emphasized that the affection of the public has never failed him.
    "I am extremely grateful to my fans and to all those who have continued to stop me, who have come to talk to me about my work.
    "I know that there are people on the Internet who don't like me very much but in real life I have not met them".
    During the masterclass, Spacey, born in 1959, retraces some of the most important stages of his career ("the training received at Julliard taught me emotional, physical, artistic and intellectual discipline" he explains) from the theater to The Usual Suspects, from American Beauty to his directing activity.
    When asked what advice Frank Underwood (the unscrupulous US president played in the series House of Cards) would give to the current commander-in-chief, he replies smiling: "As an actor I have no advice to offer Trump but as a former president I could tell him that power is only a question of perception and this only lasts as long as people allow you to make it last".
    The six seasons of the series were "one of the most exhilarating and fun experiences of my career.
    "I've never laughed so much as I did on that set.

We believed in what we were doing, we had incredible writers, an amazing cast.
    "Robin Wright was the best partner I could ever hope to find.
    David Fincher set the tone for the entire series.
    "It was a joy from start to finish and, if I found something as rich, as inspiring, as fun for television, with so many people I loved as on that show, I would get to work in a heartbeat".
    There was also a memory dedicated to his friend Val Kilmer (who passed away in April, ed.).
    "He was my best friend in high school, we did the experience at Julliard together. And also at the beginning of my career in a production of Shakespeare in Central Park. Being able to share all of that with Val, watching him grow as an artist had a huge impact on me, I've known him forever, imagining life without him is difficult".
    Spacey has continued to work in small independent films in recent years, including Franco Nero's The Man Who Drew God, whom the actor thanked "for hiring me when no one else would." Now, among the projects ready are the thriller 'The Awakening' by Matt Routledge and the historical thriller 1780 by Dustin Fairbanks.
    "I always wanted to have a similar path to that of actors like Jack Lemmon, who I consider my mentor, Jimmy Stewart or Spencer Tracy, who have had careers that lasted decades and survived everything." Today, as an actor, "I'm very interested in stories of redemption, stories of silence and survival, and the space that exists between these words. I feel like I've done a lot of research in this field ... I have an understanding of it that I didn't have seven years ago," he concluded.
   

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