#MeToo case in France: Gérard Depardieu to face alleged sex assault charges

French actor Gérard Depardieu is set to stand trial in Paris on March 24 and 25 on charges of sexual assault involving two women during the filming of Les volets verts (The Green Shutters) in 2021. He denied all allegations.

Depardieu, 76, has denied the charges, and his lawyer said he would provide "witnesses and evidence that will show he has simply been targeted by false accusations".

In 2021, French director Jean Becker cast 76-year-old Gérard Depardieu in a role that critics described as 'particularly touching,' noting that he appeared to be portraying his own life story on screen." The film portrays a legendary stage actor at the peak of his career in the 1970s, who is warned that if he does not reduce his consumption of alcohol and women, his heart will give out.

On February 23, 2024, 54-year-old set dresser Amélie lodged a complaint against the actor for “sexual assault”, “sexual harassment” and “sexist insults”, reports France24.

Speaking to left-wing investigative outlet Mediapart, she described how the actor had “brutally grabbed her” in a corridor, held her still by “closing his legs around her like a crab” before “kneading her waist, her belly, right up to her breasts”. 

Amélie said that Depardieu’s bodyguards had put a stop to the assault. She alleged that the actor had called out “We’ll see each other again, my darling!” as he walked off.

Another sexual assault complaint was filed the following month, on March 21. Sarah, a 34-year-old third assistant director, accused Depardieu of touching her buttocks one evening as they walked from his dressing room to the set.

"Shocked," she told Mediapart that she initially "said nothing." According to her account, Depardieu had inappropriately touched her on two other occasions—on her buttocks and breasts—despite her attempts to resist.

Both women stated that they reported the incidents to the film’s production team, who allegedly failed to recognize the seriousness of the situation and its impact on them.

Although director Jean Becker denied hat he was aware of any misconduct by Depardieu during filming, actress Anouk Grinberg has criticized what she called the director’s "cowardice," alleging that he 'knew perfectly well that two women had been seriously assaulted."

“When film producers hire Depardieu on a film, they know they are hiring an aggressor.... We all saw. We all heard... We were treated to his salacious nonsense from morning to night,” Grinberg told AFP.

In an open letter published in Le Figaro in Oct. 2023, he wrote: “Never, but never, have I abused a woman. To think that I have hurt someone or made them feel uncomfortable is intolerable to me.”

He added, “I have only ever been guilty of being too loving, too generous, or of having a temperament that is too strong.”

According to France24, Depardieu is now the object of six separate complaints, including two for rape and four for sexual assault. More than 20 women have spoken out against him, either in the press or before the courts, accusing the actor of sexual and sexist violence. 

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