French actor Gerard Depardieu faces sexual assault case – DW – 28.10.2024

French movie star Gerard Depardieu will stand trial in a Paris criminal court on Monday for allegedly sexually assaulting two women during a 2021 film shoot.

New complaints and a possible second trial are also on the horizon for the 75-year-old, who is accused of using “violence, coercion, surprise or threats” in the alleged attacks.

However, Depardieu’s lawyer said he wanted a postponement due to health reasons.

“Gerard Depardieu is extremely affected and unfortunately his doctors have banned him from attending the hearing, so he will ask for an adjournment to a later date so that he can attend the hearing,” Jeremie Assous told Franceinfo channel. he said.

What are the allegations about the player?

Prosecutors allege that the attacks took place on the set of “Les Volets Verts” (“The Green Shutters”).

Both victims reported that Depardieu pinned them between their legs and groped their private parts through their clothing.

Paris prosecutors said one of the plaintiffs told investigators he first heard obscenities from Depardieu on the set.

An hour later, the woman said she was “brutally grabbed” by Depardieu as she left the set.

He allegedly pinned her down by “closing her legs around her” before continuing up to her breasts, groping her waist and stomach.

He said Depardieu made “obscene remarks” during the incident.

Prosecutors said three people witnessed the incident, confirming that the woman tried to break free from Depardieu’s grasp and appeared “shocked.”

Depardieu denied the accusations.

Depardieu faces accusations from nearly 20 women

While approximately 20 women accused Depardieu of various sexual crimes, actor Charlotte Arnould was the first to file a criminal complaint.

Arnould, now 28, filed a criminal complaint against Depardieu in August 2018, alleging that he raped her twice at his Paris home that month; Depardieu rejects this claim.

While investigators dismissed the complaint in 2019 for lack of evidence, Arnould had it reopened.

In August, prosecutors called for the actor to be tried over these allegations.

French President Emmanuel Macron came to Depardieu’s defense, saying he remained a “very powerful actor” who was subject to a “manhunt.” Meanwhile, dozens of celebrities put their names to an opinion piece in defense of the actor on the French newspaper’s website. Le Figaro.

France’s overdue #MeToo wave

Depardieu is the most high-profile name to face accusations in the French cinema world’s version of the #MeToo movement, which was precipitated by allegations against US producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017.

The movement has recently begun to spread in French cinema; Famous directors Jacques Doillon and Benoit Jacquot were also accused of sexual assault.

Depardieu’s career includes more than 200 films, making him one of the most well-known French faces in international cinema.

He starred in “Les Misérables”, adapted from French literary classics such as Cyrano de Bergerac and Jean Valjean.

The actor also entered Hollywood in the early 90s with projects such as “Green Card” and “1492”.

Sexual violence against women has also come to the fore increasingly in France, during the trial of a man who drugged his wife and allowed dozens of defendants to rape her.

The case sparked fear and sparked protests and debates about male violence in French society.

rc/wd (AFP, AP, Reuters)