Kevin Spacey: What has the actor been up to after retreating from the spotlight

Kevin Spacey has begun to make a return to the limelight after he was cleared of all sexual offence allegations of which he denied.

The Hollywood actor, 64, had been keeping a low profile following the accusations which first surfaced in 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp accused him of trying to seduce him at the age of 14 in 1986.

Spacey apologised to Rapp and publicly came out as gay on Instagram, saying: "I honestly do not remember the encounter." However, later in a lawsuit seeking $40million in damages, Spacey was found not guilty.

Read more: Kevin Spacey Says He Was Hospitalized For Heart Attack Symptoms (Huff Post, 2-min read)

Of the further allegations that followed, the House of Cards star was cleared in July of nine sexual offence charges in a UK trial. The charges related to four men between 2001 and 2003. Spacey always maintained his innocence.

As he makes a slow comeback to the spotlight after his retreat, what has Spacey been up to?

Spacey’s health scare

This week Spacey hit headlines when he was taken to hospital while he faced a health scare at the 15th Tashkent International Film Festival, in Uzbekistan. It was reported the actor feared he was having a "heart attack" at the time, according to The Sun.

Speaking at the festival in footage shared by the newspaper, he said: "I experienced something here today that was unexpected. I was looking at these extraordinary murals on the walls and I suddenly felt my entire left arm go numb for about eight seconds.

"I shook it off, but I immediately told the people I was with and we went immediately to the medical centre. I spent the afternoon there having a variety of tests. Staff took care of me, and even put me through an MRI.

"Everything turned out to be completely normal and I’m grateful it’s not anything more serious. But it also made me take a moment and think about how fragile life is - for all of us."

Spacey's return to the movies

Moving forward, Spacey has been cast in his first role since the media storm. The actor will take on a small part as a detective in an Italian crime drama The Man Who Drew God. His character investigates the case of a man who is wrongly accused of sexually abusing children.

Director Franco Nero told ABC News: "I am very happy Kevin agreed to participate in my film. I consider him a great actor and I can’t wait to start the movie."

Public appearances

In recent years, Spacey has stayed largely out of the limelight. In 2019, the screen star notably made his first public appearance in Rome. During his appearance, he read a poem about a boxer who mourned the loss of his stellar career.

Again eyes were on Spacey this year in January when he attended a ceremony at the National Cinema Museum in Turin in Italy. As he accepted a lifetime achievement award from the museum, the actor thanked them for having the courage to invite him. "I am truly blessed and grateful and humbled. And my heart is very full tonight toward the National Museum of Cinema for having had the “le palle” to invite me tonight.”

Spacey's bizarre Christmas videos

For three years, Spacey stepped into character to film a piece to camera wishing people a merry Christmas.

Spacey released a new video each year on Christmas Eve in 2018, 2019 and 2020. In 2019, he said in the video: "You didn’t really think I was going to miss the opportunity to wish you a merry Christmas, did you?

"It's been a pretty good year and I’m grateful to have my health back and in light of that I’ve made some changes in my life and I’d like to invite you to join me."

What was Kevin Spacey accused of in the UK?

Spacey retreated from the spotlight when he faced the sexual offence allegations of which he was cleared and always denied.

He was found not guilty in a UK trial of seven counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. Also, Spacey was acquitted of one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.

What did Kevin Spacey say?

At the time in July, outside Southwark Crown Court, Spacey said he was "grateful" to the jury for their decision and “humbled” by the outcome.

"I would like to say that I am enormously grateful to the jury for having taken the time to examine all of the evidence and all of the facts carefully before they reached their decision," he said.

"I am humbled by the outcome today. I also want to thank the staff inside this courthouse, the security, and all of those who took care of us every single day."