Warning: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected.
French actor Gérard Depardieu was on trial in Paris on Monday, accusing sexual assault on two women in the film, a potential watershed in France’s #MeToo movement.
Depardieu, 76, is accused of fumbled through a 54-year-old suit dresser and 34-year-old assistant director during filming in 2021 LES Volets Verts ((Green blinds).
The actor denies any misconduct. Depardieu told the judge that he was ready to answer the court’s questions.
“We will be able to show in a fair, objective and undisputed way that all charges are lies,” his attorney Jérémie Assous told the outsiders.
“The facts will be obvious, and the facts are on our side,” he said.
Prosecutors claimed the attack included obscene remarks and inappropriate touches, including the incident where DePardieu allegedly captured one of the women with his legs and then groped her in front of the other crew members.
The Associated Press did not name those who said they were sexually assaulted unless they agreed to be determined. In this case, nothing is.
The two-day trial was originally scheduled for October but was postponed due to Depardieu’s health. A judgment is expected to be made in the future.
Depardieu grabbed the lawyer’s shoulder as he calmly entered the court. According to his lawyer, the actor experienced four times the heart bypass and suffered from diabetes. The medical expert appointed by the court determined that he was suitable for trial. He is reportedly expected to attend the hearing and plans to take a break.
Carine Durrieu Diebolt, the attorney of one of the two plaintiffs, said on the French information broadcast that her clients were “calmly waiting for the outcome of the case … because the case is solid.”
Durrieu Diebolt said four other women said the women who were sexually assaulted by DePardieu will speak at the trial.
This is one of France’s most outstanding film actors DePardieu has tried on sexual assault charges. He has previously been publicly accused of more than 20 women having been accused of or formally complained, but no other cases have been brought to court. Some people were discarded due to lack of evidence or restrictive regulations.
In another case, French actor Charlotte Arnound Arnound accused Depardieu of allegedly committing two rape cases in August 2018. In the case, Depardieu was charged with rape and sexual assault in 2020 and asked prosecutors to stand trial in August. The District Magistrate has not made a decision.
“Never, but never, has a woman been abused,” DePardieu wrote in an open letter published in Le Figaro in October 2023.
Activists gathered outside the court before the trial began. A dozen of the “Bruit Qui Court” collectively performed a carefully designed dance while shouting: “Gender-discriminatory violence, complicity in the judicial system.”
Depardieu has fallen off in recent months and his film career seems to have been put on hold. But he still has friends in the industry. Actors Vincent Perez and Fanny Ardant are the ones who sit down in court.
