After three months of silence, Jacques Doillon finally came out of the shadows. Jane Birkin’s ex denied Judith Godrèche’s comments made against him. In February, the actress accused him of sexually abusing her in his office during film rehearsals The 15 year old girl in 1989. She filed a complaint immediately.
“I never had an intimate relationship with Judith Godrèche,” declared the filmmaker in an interview with Parisian. “I was never attracted to her. I was living at the time with Jane (Birkin) with whom I was in love. Nothing happened with Judith in the office or anywhere else. »
Lou Doillon’s father, who directed the film at the time, gave his version of the facts mentioned by Judith Godrèche and explained that he took the place of an actor who “knew his text very poorly” during the rehearsal of a scene involving a sexual act. “The producer told me that if I didn’t reprise the role, the film would have to be stopped. I accepted without enthusiasm,” he said.
A “tendency towards exaggeration”
Judith Godrèche, who was 15 years old at the time, accused him of having taken off her sweater and of having “groped” her and of having “made fun of her” in a scene that required “45 takes”. Jane Birkin also mentioned this scene in her diary, which she said took “20 takes”, while rehearsals took place in her house.
“Jane had a tendency to exaggerate and was deeply jealous,” retorted the director, referring instead to “seven or eight takes”.
Other accusations
Judith Godrèche filed a complaint last February against directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon for rape of a minor. The latter in turn filed a complaint for defamation. However, these revelations opened the way to other accusations from actresses, including Isild Le Besco and Anna Mouglalis, against the filmmaker for sexual harassment and “psychological or physical violence”, reported in The world.
“I have never promised a role to anyone nor taken advantage of my position as director to obtain sexual favors,” Jacques Doillon told Parisian. “In 35 films, it happened once or twice to me to have romances with actresses, but I was not a harasser. »
The director also denounced a form of “pack effect”. “Judith Godrèche opened the ball and made me her scapegoat. The other accusations followed. It seems that the pack effect described in psychology applies here perfectly,” he said.
The release of his latest film CE2 was also postponed last March after the actress’s accusations. Deputies also took legal action for possible “failures” during the casting of children.