Kevin Spacey was visibly emotional after receiving a standing ovation following a brief performance on stage on Monday evening.
The actor read and performed a scene from Timon of Athens as part of columnist and pal Douglas Murray's lecture on cancel culture in Oxford.
Murray hosted the event titled The Life and Legacy of Sir Roger Scruton as it paid tribute to the late conservative philosopher - who himself endured cancellation during his lifetime.
The Shakespearian text performed by Spacey, which has often drawn parallels with today's cancel culture, is a satirical view on wealth, backstabbing, and greed by the English playwright.
Spacey's foray back onto the stage marked the first time he'd performed since he was acquitted of sexual assault against four men in July 2023.
The House of Cards actor denied all the allegations against him throughout his trial and was found not guilty by a jury.
Kevin Spacey was acquitted at his trial back in July 2023
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Since the allegations were first made, Spacey has been forced to step back from mainstream projects - including missing out on the finale of Netflix's House of Cards.
He has taken on a role in the upcoming film Control alongside Lauren Metcalfe and Mark Hampton, however.
But even before its release, Control has hit headlines after West End cinema The Prince Charles withdrew its offer to host the premiere when it learned Spacey was in the cast.
Spacey doesn't appear in the film but provides the vocals for his role as The Voice of a self-driving car.
The car in question belongs to Metcalfe's government minister who's having an affair with Hampton's Prime Minister.
While the cinema chain has taken the decision to reject the chance to host Control's premiere, the decision to include Spacey in the film is still backed by the film's director Gene Fallaize.
Fallaize told US publication Variety: "He is naturally quiet and comes across as quite shy.
"He seemed fine. I mean, I didn’t know Kevin before all of this so I can’t say what he was like in comparison to what he was like before. But you know, he just seemed like a nice guy.
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"The only people that know everything are the ones that were in that courtroom and they decided he was not guilty.
"These people that are saying – if they’re saying – that we’re whitewashing him or enabling him to come back, what facts have they got to contradict the jury? I don’t regret casting Kevin and I would do it all over again.”