‘I’m still standing’: Kevin Spacey makes his comeback at chaotic Cannes gala

A picture


Kevin Spacey’s Cannes comeback is a discreet, low-key affair,The promenade is home to a gaggle of evening sunbathers while the steps to the beach club contain neither fans nor protesters,It is what is known in the trade as a soft relaunch,Spacey is guest of honour at the Better World Fund’s gala dinner, where he is receiving a lifetime achievement award for “excellence in film and television”,It marks a return to the limelight for the two-time Oscar-winner, whose career stalled after allegations of sexual assault and misconduct by more than 30 men.

This is the actor’s first visit to Cannes since 2016, one year before the #MeToo movement went global.Inside the hotel beach club, the photographers jockey for position and complain of the party’s lack of celebrity wattage.The more enterprising guests hold up their phones with their names displayed.Others risk going entirely unrecognised.“There’s no guest list,” one photographer grumbles to his friend.

“Who even are these people?”Spacey’s gala dinner is not an official festival event, although it takes place at the nearby Carlton hotel, the centrepiece berth for the event’s A-list guests.The Better World Fund is a charitable foundation set up by the American entrepreneur Ted Turner, with a focus on the arts and a mission to “build a more secure, prosperous world”.One of its longstanding supporters is the Indian-American film-maker Mira Nair, the director of Salaam Bombay! and Monsoon Wedding.On arriving, Nair says that she only learned of Spacey’s invitation the day before.Asked if she is happy that the actor has been invited to the party, she says: “I can say that I’m happy that I’ve been invited to the party.

I’m happy that people are here, being honoured,”When Spacey belatedly appears on the red carpet, the photographers surge forward and knock over the cordon,Tables are upset and champagne glasses smashed,“Thank you for coming,” he says, maintaining a stiff rictus smile,He can’t get inside quickly enough.

In his acceptance speech, Spacey suggests that the evening’s real hero might be Better World Fund president Manuel Collas de La Roche.“I’d like to congratulate him for the decision to invite me here tonight to accept this award,” he says.“Who would have ever thought that honouring someone who has been exonerated in every courtroom he’s ever walked into would be thought of as a brave idea? But here we are.”In 2022 Spacey was found not liable in a sexual abuse civil lawsuit in New York.The following year he was cleared of sexually assaulting four men after a month-long trial at London’s Southwark crown court.

At the gala dinner, he compares his ordeal to that of the postwar Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted during the McCarthy anti-communist era, and noted that the actor Kirk Douglas was one of the few stars who publicly supported Trumbo,“We have to think about the pushback that [Douglas] received after he made the brave decision to stand up for fellow colleague, two-time Oscar winning screenwriter Dalton Trumbo,” he says,“[Douglas] said this: ‘It’s easier for us actors to play the heroes on screen,We get to fight the bad guys and stand up for justice,But in real life, the choices are not always so clear.

’ There are times when one has to stand up for principle.I’ve learned a lot from history.It often repeats itself … but only if we allow it to.”Spacey closed his speech with a nod to his “friend” Elton John.“I’m still standing,” he said, before he walked from the stage to sit down.

Out on the prom, one lone demonstrator has now set up camp.Ramiro Magalhães is a Brazilian climate change activist who is in Cannes to protest against the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.He has a push-cart made up as a hospital stretcher, with the charred bough of a tree playing the role of the patient.Magalhães says he has never heard of Spacey.“I don’t know any actors,” he says.

“Is he a good actor?”Spacey, 65, is in Cannes for business as well as pleasure.He is starring in a low-budget independent thriller, The Awakening, that is being sold to foreign buyers inside the festival’s Marché du Film.The Awakening’s writer, producer and star, Matt Hookings, this week told reporters the actor’s attendance at the gala dinner was part of a “guerrilla marketing” campaign to promote the film.“If anyone speaks to him, he could say he’s in Cannes and receiving an award,” Hookings said.“But he’s also here with The Awakening, so the film gets plugged.

”A statement from the official festival saw organisers distance themselves from Spacey, saying he had “no affiliation whatsoever to the festival”.The statement added: “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.”Inside the beach club, the guests take their seats for dinner.Spacey will be hoping that the gala signals a new dawn.But out on the beach the sun was going down.

A picture

How to turn the dregs of a tahini jar into a brilliant Japanese condiment - recipe | Waste not

A jar of goma dare is a new favourite fixture in my fridge door. This Japanese-style condiment, dipping sauce and dressing made from ground sesame seeds is powerful in flavour, sweet, sour and creamy all at the same time, while the addition of grated ginger and/or garlic makes it wonderfully piquant, too. It’s also very moreish and hugely versatile, meaning you can serve it with everything from a traditional shabu shabu hot pot to cold noodles, tofu, aubergine and slaw; in fact, it’s so tasty I have to stop myself from eating it straight from the jar. My recipe uses the leftover tahini in the bottom of a jar and comes together in the jar itself, so minimising both waste and washing-up. Simply add all the ingredients, scrape down the sides and shake (you can apply a similar method to the ends of a peanut butter jar, too, for a nutty, satay-style twist)

A picture

Pistachio tiramisu and mango shortcakes: Nicola Lamb’s recipes for spring desserts

When mango season is upon us, I love nothing more than thinking of as many waysas possible to eat them. It’s hard to beat the joy of messily eating one over a sink, but these flaky, American-style shortcakes, which you may recognise as similar to scones, are a brilliant mango delivery method. Meanwhile, there are few things that pistachio doesn’t improve, and here pistachio cream, which is conveniently fortified with sugar and fat, and emulsified to a smooth, spoonable paste, is paired with coffee in the form of an airy tiramisu to feed a crowd.Using cold grated butter and performing a few roll, stack and folds will give you towering shortcakes with tender middles and crisp tops.Prep 10 min Cook 1 hr Makes 6For the flaky scones120g very cold butter 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 10g baking powder ½ tsp flaky salt 30g caster sugar 130g buttermilk, plus extra for brushing2 tsp granulated sugarFor the whipped cream 150g greek yoghurt 30g caster sugar 150g double creamTo finish3-4 small ripe Indian mangoes (I like alphonso), peeled and cut into thin horizontal strips1 limeGrate the cold butter on to a plate

A picture

Australian supermarket cucumber pickles taste test: ‘I didn’t think any would be this powerful’

Baby cucumbers, dill gherkins and snacky cornichons are put to a blind taste test by Nicholas Jordan and friends, who find there’s a big leap from sour and salty to ‘unnervingly unnatural’I love pickles. I almost always order pickles and/or ferments on restaurant menus, my fridge is regularly stocked with a zoological range of pickle colours and smells, and I find the idea of eating more than 20 different pickles in a single hour thrilling.But this wasn’t a taste test of pickles: it was a taste test of supermarket aisle cucumber pickles, the Wes Anderson films of the stinky food world. Sure, they’ve got some character, but step into that theatre and everyone knows exactly what they’re about to get, and it isn’t depth.The blind taste test consisted of me and 11 friends eating 21 cucumber pickles

A picture

Layer up: spring fillings for filo pies

Filo pies are my go-to for entertaining, but what are the best spring fillings? The wonderful thing about filo pies and tarts is that they look fancy even when they’re knocked up from just a handful of ingredients, they require little more than a green salad to please and, much like the rest of us, they really do benefit from some downtime. “They’re even better at room temperature because the flavour evolves,” says Rosie Kellett, author of In for Dinner, which also makes them perfect for dodging any last-minute entertaining scrambles.Kellett likes to wrap as many spring greens as possible in filo, along with cheese and hot honey butter. “The key to getting a really delicious filo tart or pie is a flavoured butter,” she says, so, rather than simply painting melted butter between every filo sheet so it goes nice and crisp in the oven, she also adds honey and harissa. (In a similar vein, if your pie or tart involves mushrooms, take your lead from Feast columnist Georgina Hayden, who uses butter flavoured with thyme and Marmite

A picture

Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for gildas in carriages | Quick and easy

Gildas are such a lovely pre-dinner snack: really good olives and anchovies on a stick, with any number of variations, such as artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, bits of cheese … The one I had most recently, at Brett in Glasgow, was beyond wonderful, and featured chicken fat-topped croutons and homemade green chilli sauce with plump Perelló olives and anchovies. Inspired by this, I made a lemon-spiked green chilli and artichoke tapenade for hot focaccia, topped with the same excellent olives and the best anchovies.I don’t usually specify brands in my recipes, but when there are so few ingredients, it really is worth getting the ones recommended below as a treat. They’re very rich, too, so a few go a long way.Prep 15 min Cook 20 min Serves 6 as a starter or pre-drink snack250g focaccia 125g jarred artichokes in olive oil (drained weight), plus 25ml oil from the jar1 tsp sea salt flakes Juice of ½ lemon1-2 large green chillies, depending on your tolerance to heat150g tinned green olives (drained weight; from a 350g tin) – I like Perelló1-2 47½g tins anchovies in oil (27g drained weight) – I like OrtizHeat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6

A picture

‘For indulgence, brioche is king’ – the sweet, buttery bread stealing sourdough’s crown

Once an indicator of wealth, but for years stuck in burger-bun purgatory, the enriched dough is being embraced by a new generation of chefs and bakers for its versatility and delicious complexity‘You shouldn’t have to fight your sandwich,” says Sacha Yonan, his voice rising to compete with the noise of London’s Soho on a Tuesday morning. Within half an hour, queues for the sandwiches at Crunch, the sandwich shop he co-founded earlier this year, will be snaking out of its doors. Its secret? Fresh brioche, which comes toasted and filled with ingredients that give the place its name, including southern-fried chicken, baby pickles and lettuce. “We love a sourdough,” says Joni Francisco, Crunch’s head of food. “But if you’re talking about sandwiches, then you need something with an easier mouthfeel