WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
French actor Gérard Depardieu went on trial Monday in Paris on charges of sexually assaulting two women on a movie set, in a case seen as a potential watershed for the #MeToo movement in France.
Depardieu, 76, is accused of having groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant director during filming in 2021 of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters).
The actor denies any wrongdoing. Depardieu told the judges he was prepared to answer the court’s questions.
“We will be able to show in an impartial, objective and incontestable manner that all of the accusations are lies,” his lawyer Jérémie Assous told journalists massed outside the courtroom.
“The truth will be obvious and the truth is on our side,” he said.
Prosecutors allege the assaults included obscene remarks and inappropriate touching, including an incident in which Depardieu allegedly used his legs to trap one of the women before groping her in front of other crew members.
The Associated Press doesn’t name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to being identified. Neither has in this case.
The two-day trial was initially scheduled for October but was postponed because of Depardieu’s health. A verdict is expected at a later date.
Depardieu grasped his lawyer’s shoulder as he strode calmly into the courtroom. The actor has undergone a quadruple heart bypass and has diabetes, according to his lawyer. A court-appointed medical expert determined that he’s fit to stand trial. He is expected to attend the hearing, reportedly with scheduled breaks.
Carine Durrieu Diebolt, the lawyer for one of the two plaintiffs, said on France Info radio that her client “is calmly awaiting the outcome of the case … because the case is solid.”
Durrieu Diebolt said four additional women who say they have been sexually assaulted by Depardieu will speak at the trial.
This is the first time that Depardieu, one of France’s most prominent film actors, has been tried over sexual assault allegations. He has previously been accused publicly or in formal complaints of misconduct by more than 20 women, but no other case has proceeded to court. Some were dropped because of a lack of evidence or the statute of limitations.
In a separate case, French actor Charlotte Arnould accused Depardieu of two rapes allegedly committed in August 2018. Depardieu was charged in 2020 with rape and sexual assault in that case, and in August prosecutors requested it go to trial. A magistrate has yet to make the decision.
In an open letter published in Le Figaro in October 2023, Depardieu wrote: “Never, but never, have I abused a woman.”
Before the opening of the trial, activists gathered outside the courthouse. A dozen from the “Bruit qui court” collective performed a choreographed dance to techno music while chanting: “Sexist violence, complicit judicial system.”
Depardieu had dropped out of sight in recent months, his film career seemingly on hold. But he still has friends in the industry. Actors Vincent Perez and Fanny Ardant were among those who took seats on his side of the courtroom.
