Actor Gérard Depardieu will not appear in French court in his trial on sexual assault charges

PARIS – French actor Gerard DepardieuAli, who is on trial for allegedly sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021, will not appear in a criminal court in Paris on Monday for health reasons, his lawyer said.

Depardieu, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, is accused of using “violence, coercion, surprise or threats” in the alleged attack, which prosecutors say took place on the set of the film. “Les Volets verts” (“The Green Shutters.”)

Lawyer Jérémie Assous said doctors told him that the actor’s health condition did not allow him to attend the opening of the trial on Monday.

Speaking to France Info radio, Assous said Depardieu was “deeply affected and unfortunately his doctors did not allow him to attend the hearing.”

Assous said that he would ask the court to postpone the hearing because his client “wants to come, wants to express himself.”

In both cases, victims reported that the 75-year-old actor pinned them between their legs and groped their buttocks, genitals, breasts and breasts through their clothing, prosecutors said.

The trial was scheduled as France continues to reckon with sexual violence in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which has struggled to gain traction, particularly in the film industry.

One of the victims was identified as a 53-year-old production designer. The Associated Press generally does not identify victims of sexual assault without their consent. His lawyer did not respond to AP’s email about this matter.

According to Paris prosecutors, the woman told investigators that she first heard sexual remarks from Depardieu and that as she walked past him one day, Depardieu “grabbed her, pulled her towards him, blocked her with his legs and groped her.” her waist, hips and chest accompany her movements with obscene words.”

Prosecutors said three people witnessed the incident, confirming that the woman tried to break free from Depardieu’s grasp and appeared “shocked.” A psychiatrist’s examination gave him seven days’ leave.

It was arranged for Depardieu to apologize following the incident. But in a TV interview broadcast on Saturday, the woman said the actor was furious and blamed her for causing trouble. Prosecutors said witnesses confirmed that what Depardieu said did not constitute an apology.

The production designer, who spoke on camera but only gave his name, said in an interview with French online news site Mediapart that the alleged attack damaged his personal and professional life for at least 1.5 years. He said he couldn’t sleep well, had anxiety attacks and lost weight.

According to prosecutors, the woman said it took her a while to file a complaint, but she decided to do so after hearing on television that no incidents occurred during the filming.

Paris prosecutors said a month before the alleged attack, another woman who worked on the film set also filed a complaint against Depardieu.

A director’s assistant told investigators that Depardieu touched her buttocks several times. He had expressed his disapproval and said Depardieu insulted him in return. He was also given six days leave by a psychiatrist.

Depardieu’s lawyer, Assous, said in an email to the AP on Saturday that “the witnesses and the evidence that will emerge will show that (Depardieu) was the target of false accusations.”

Despite the allegations against Depardieu, many people expressed their support for him. Including French President Emmanuel Macron.

Late last year, 56 French artists, writers and producers published an essay defending the movie star“When Gérard Depardieu is targeted in this way, it is art (cinema) that is attacked,” he says.

Their call came just weeks after national broadcaster France 2 broadcast the news. A documentary outlining sexual harassment accusations It was taken against Depardieu by 16 women and shows the actor making obscene remarks and gestures during a trip to North Korea in 2018.

In the footage, Depardieu is seen making moaning sounds and using sexual expressions in front of women, including a 10-year-old girl riding a horse. She can also be seen posing for a photo while saying that the North Korean interpreter next to her was “touching her bottom.”

He was charged with rape and sexual assault in 2021 after authorities revived an initially canceled 2018 investigation. following allegations by actor Charlotte Arnould.

“I have never, ever harassed a woman,” Depardieu said last year in an open letter published in the conservative-leaning newspaper Le Figaro.

The actor has long been considered a national icon in France. He became a global ambassador for French cinema and achieved international fame with a variety of roles in Hollywood.

Earlier this year, actor Judith Godrèche appealed to the French film industry: “face the truth” On sexual violence and physical abuse at the Cesar Awards ceremony, France’s version of the Oscars.

Godrèche had previously claimed that two prominent filmmakers sexually abused her in her youth. It is sending new shock waves to the industry.

More recently, The trial of 50 people continues His accusation of raping a woman who had previously been drugged and unconscious by her husband shook the country. Protests spread across the country Last weekend, in support of the victim, a mother and grandmother in their early 70s. Becoming a hero to many victims of sexual violence for insisting that his trial be open to the public.

Feminist groups called for protests outside the courthouse ahead of Monday’s hearings.