French actor Gerard Depardieu He arrived in Paris yesterday and quickly appeared at the Criminal Court, where he is being tried on charges of sexual assault, reports the AP.
This trial was previously postponed due to the actor's health problems, and the public viewed the entire case as a potential launch of the MeToo movement in France.
Depardieu (76) has been accused of sexual harassment by two women, both of whom allege that it occurred during the filming of the film “Les Volets Verts” (The Green Shutters) in 2021.
One of them, a 54-year-old woman who was hired to prepare the set for the film, accused the actor of holding her in a hallway, touching her breasts, buttocks and genitals, and making lewd comments to her. She filed a lawsuit against him in February 2024 for sexual assault, harassment and sexist insults.
The director's assistant, who is 34 years old, also accused Depardieu of touching her breasts and buttocks on set, as well as of previously harassing her, and she filed the lawsuit in March 2024.
If the court finds the actor guilty, he faces a fine of 75 euros and a prison sentence of up to five years.
Depardieu, who denies all charges, told the judge that he was ready to answer all questions.
"We will be able to prove in an impartial, objective and indisputable manner that all the accusations are lies. The truth will be obvious and the truth is on our side," he said. Jeremy Asu, the actor's legal representative.
On the other hand, the prosecutor said that Depardieu tripped an employee on set, then grabbed her around the waist and breasts in front of witnesses, and that during breaks between filming he used vulgar language and that bodyguards had to remove him.
Today, Depardieu admitted in court that he grabbed an employee on set by the hips, but denied that it was sexual harassment, adding that his foul words were the result of a bad mood.
"I grabbed her hips so she wouldn't slip. I was very upset about her, the heat, it was Friday and the end of filming was coming, I was very tired," the actor said, then explained that he was very upset about the way the woman he allegedly sexually harassed was working.
He added that he saw no reason why he would do what he was accused of, and that at the time he had a problem with being overweight and that some of the accusations were impossible for him to make, such as the one that he trapped her between his legs.
The director's assistant said that Depardieu harassed her both on set and in the street. Both women were present in court, and since they did not give their consent for their names to be published publicly, some media outlets decided to respect that.
In October, the trial was postponed due to the actor's health condition. He has suffered from diabetes for more than 25 years and has a quadruple bypass graft.
At the time of his indictment, Depardieu was already under official investigation for rape allegations. In 2018, actress Charlotte Arnoult accused him of raping her in his home. That case is still ongoing, and Depardieu denies that allegation as well.
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