By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-24 14:16:37 | Updated at 2025-03-26 11:13:39
1 day ago
French actor Gerard Depardieu arrived at a Paris court Monday for his trial on charges of sexually assaulting two women during a 2021 film shoot - which he denies.
The 76-year-old, who has appeared in over 200 films and television series, has been accused of improper behaviour by around 20 women, but this is the first case to reach trial.
Depardieu, dressed in a dark suit with no tie, strolled into the Paris criminal court with a hand on his lawyer's shoulder, appearing unfazed by the serious allegations against him.
The trial revolves around accusations of sexual assault during the filming of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) in 2021, directed by Jean Becker.
Two woman - a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant director - claim Depardieu subjected them to sexual violence on set.
Prominent French actress Anouk Grinberg, who also starred in the film, has publicly supported the accusers, claiming Depardieu routinely made 'salacious remarks' during filming. She has accused producers of knowingly 'hiring an abuser'.
The set dresser alleged the actor was openly making crude remarks on set, and at one point loudly complained he 'couldn't even get it up' because of the heat.
She claimed he boasted he could 'give women an orgasm without touching them' and that an hour later Depardieu 'brutally grabbed' her.
French actor Gerard Depardieu arrives on the day of his trial for two sexual assaults allegedly committed on the set of the film 'Les Volets Verts', at the courthouse in Paris, France, March 24
Two woman - a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant director - claim Depardieu subjected them to sexual violence on set
Depardieu, dressed in a dark suit with no tie, strolled into the Paris criminal court
Prominent French actress Anouk Grinberg has publicly supported the accusers
The actor pinned her by 'closing his legs' around her before groping her waist and her stomach, continuing up to her breasts, she added.
She said Depardieu made 'obscene remarks' including: 'Come and touch my big parasol. I'll stick it in your p****.'
She described the actor's bodyguards dragging him away as he shouted: 'We'll see each other again, my dear.'
The second accuser, the assistant director, has also accused Depardieu of sexual violence, though details of her allegations have not yet been made public.
'What my client wants is for the trial to take place. But I am also worried about how Mr Depardieu's defence will treat the civil parties at the hearing,' said lawyer Claude Vincent.
Depardieu's lawyer, Jeremie Assous, has insisted that the trial will prove the accusations 'false'.
'This trial is going to allow us to confront all accusations with reality, witnesses and the layout of the premises. We will thus be able to show in an impartial, objective and undeniable manner that all the accusations are false,' he said.
The case was initially set for trial in October but was postponed due to Depardieu's ill health.
The actor, according to his lawyer, has undergone a quadruple heart bypass and suffers from diabetes, which has been aggravated by the stress of the case.
The 76-year-old, who has appeared in over 200 films and television series, has been accused of improper behaviour by around 20 women
Activists hold placards as they demonstrate outside the Paris courthouse on the opening day of French actor Gerard Depardieu's trial
Around 20 women have come forward, but many cases have been dropped due to France's statute of limitations
The trial revolves around accusations of sexual assault during the filming of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) in 2021, directed by Jean Becker
Actor Charlotte Arnould hugs Anouk Grinberg, on the day of the trial of French actor Gerard Depardieu
He will reportedly be allowed six-hour court sessions with breaks whenever needed.
Depardieu has been the subject of multiple sexual misconduct allegations over the years.
Around 20 women have come forward, but many cases have been dropped due to France's statute of limitations.
In 2018, French actress Charlotte Arnould became the first woman to file a criminal complaint against Depardieu, accusing him of rape and sexual assault.
In August 2023, French prosecutors requested a trial on those charges - claims Depardieu has vehemently denied.
'Never, but never, have I abused a woman,' the actor wrote in an open letter to conservative newspaper Le Figaro.
Depardieu, once France's most celebrated actor, has become equally infamous for his controversial behaviour off-screen.
In 2011, he made headlines for urinating in the aisle of a plane.
He has been involved in drunken brawls, arrested for drink-driving, and has sparked outrage with his close ties to Vladimir Putin.
A 2023 French TV documentary, 'The Fall of the Ogre', revealed footage of Depardieu on a 2018 trip to North Korea making explicit sexual comments in front of a female interpreter and appearing to sexualise a young girl riding a horse.
