Allegations of sexual violence against the French film star have been made again and again. Now two women are accusing Depardieu of assaults again during filming – and this time he has to go to court.
French film star Gérard Depardieu has to stand trial over allegations of sexual violence. As the Paris public prosecutor’s office announced, the trial against the 75-year-old is scheduled to begin in October. Depardieu was previously questioned at a Paris police station about allegations from two women who accused the actor of assaults during filming in 2021.
Series of accusations
A decorator alleged that Depardieu sexually harassed her while filming the film “Les Volets Verts.” Another woman had accused the actor of touching his intimate area and making obscene statements during the filming of the short film “Le Magicien et les Siamois” in 2014.
The new allegations against the award-winning actor are part of a series of accusations. Since 2020, the judiciary has been investigating the movie star for the alleged rape of actress Charlotte Arnould. The actress Hélène Darras had also reported him for rape, but the case was dropped due to the statute of limitations. A journalist sued Depardieu for rape in Spain in 1995.
Depardieu speaks of “media lynching”
Depardieu completely denies the allegations. In a letter published in the newspaper “Le Figaro” in the fall, he described himself as a victim of a “media lynching” and wrote: “Never, never have I abused a woman.” Depardieu continued: “I am neither a rapist nor a predator. I am just a man…” Several dozen artists – including the actress Charlotte Rampling and the musician and former French first lady Carla Bruni – also complained that the presumption of innocence was being ignored in the case of Depardieu, “probably the greatest of all actors”.
Opinions about Depardieu and the serious allegations made against him vary in France. The actor, who has appeared in more than 200 films, shocked many people in December with comments he made in a television report about his trip to North Korea in 2018. In it he repeatedly makes misogynistic and questionable comments, for example calling women “big sluts”.
Wax figure removed
The then Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul-Malak, initiated an investigation into whether Depardieu should be stripped of his Legion of Honor. That ultimately didn’t happen. The actor received France’s highest award in 1996. Depardieu lost the National Order of Quebec and his title as an honorary citizen of the Belgian community of Estaimpuis. The Paris wax museum had his figure removed.