PARIS (AP) 鈥� won鈥檛 just be facing two women who accuse him of when he walks into a Paris courtroom on Monday. France's most famous male actor will also be confronting a nation long criticized for failing to address sexual violence 鈥� particularly when committed by its most powerful figures.
Depardieu, 76, is accused of assaulting a set dresser and an assistant director during the 2021 filming of 鈥淟es Volets Verts鈥� ("The Green Shutters"). While more than 20 women have publicly accused him of sexual misconduct, this is the first time one of those cases has gone to trial.
It is also the most prominent post- -era case in , testing whether a country famed for its culture of seduction is prepared to hold its cultural titans accountable.
Prosecutors say Depardieu trapped one of the women with his legs before groping her waist and breasts in front of witnesses. In an interview with investigative outlet Mediapart, the 54-year-old set dresser said Depardieu shouted on set that he 鈥渃ouldn鈥檛 even get it up鈥� because of the heat, then told her: 鈥淐ome and touch my big parasol. I鈥檒l stick it in your (nether regions).鈥� She said he then grabbed her forcefully and had to be pulled away by bodyguards.
A second woman, a 34-year-old assistant director, alleged she was groped both on set and in the street. The plaintiffs' identities have not been disclosed to protect alleged victims of sexual violence.
Depardieu has denied all allegations.
In an open letter published in Le Figaro in Oct. 2023, he wrote: 鈥淣ever, but never, have I abused a woman. To think that I have hurt someone or made them feel uncomfortable is intolerable to me.鈥�
He added, 鈥淚 have only ever been guilty of being too loving, too generous, or of having a temperament that is too strong.鈥�
His lawyer, J茅r茅mie Assous, called the case baseless and said Depardieu 鈥� who recently underwent a quadruple bypass and has diabetes 鈥� will attend the two-day trial, reportedly with breaks scheduled to accommodate his health condition.
A culture slow to confront abuse
France has often been ambivalent 鈥� even resistant 鈥� toward the #MeToo movement. While Hollywood saw powerful men fall swiftly and publicly, the French film industry was slower to respond. Some dismissed #MeToo as an American export incompatible with French values, citing concerns over free expression and what they viewed as an erosion of flirtation culture.
, convicted in the United States of unlawful sex with a minor and accused by several other women, continues to live and work in France with near-total impunity. Despite international outcry, he remains a decorated figure in French cinema. His 2020 C茅sar Award for Best Director 鈥� for 鈥淎n Officer and a Spy鈥� 鈥� prompted several women, including actress , to walk out of the ceremony in protest.
Yet the industry offered little institutional pushback, highlighting a deep-rooted reluctance to confront abuse when it involves revered cultural figures.
In February, director was convicted of sexually abusing Haenel when she was a child. The actress, who had already quit the film industry in protest, has become one of the country鈥檚 most prominent voices on abuse.
, an actor and filmmaker, has also emerged as a leading figure. In February 2024, in a televised testimony, she addressed a French parliamentary commission, accusing directors Beno卯t Jacquot and of sexually exploiting her as a teenager 鈥� allegations both men deny. 鈥淭his is not about desire or love,鈥� she told lawmakers. 鈥淚t is about power. It is about a system that enables silence.鈥�
That same commission has called major actors and producers 鈥� including Jean Dujardin 鈥� to testify. Several reportedly requested that their appearances be held behind closed doors.
Witnesses and whispers
Anouk Grinberg, a respected actor who appeared in 鈥淟es Volets Verts鈥�, has publicly supported the plaintiffs. She described Depardieu鈥檚 behavior as vulgar and disturbing, saying she felt 鈥渁 sense of shame鈥� on set.
At the time of the alleged 2021 assaults, Depardieu was already under formal investigation for rape. In 2018, actor Charlotte Arnould accused him of raping her at his home. That case is still active, and in August 2024, prosecutors requested it go to trial.
Over a career spanning five decades, Depardieu starred in more than 200 films, including 鈥淐yrano de Bergerac鈥�, 鈥淛ean de Florette鈥�, 鈥淕reen Card鈥�, and 鈥淭he Man in the Iron Mask鈥�. But his off-screen controversies have long made headlines, from drunk driving to urinating in the aisle of a plane.
A 2023 France T茅l茅visions documentary, 鈥淟a Chute de l鈥橭gre鈥� ("The Fall of the Ogre"), reignited debate about his impunity. It showed footage of the actor during a 2018 trip to North Korea, making sexually inappropriate remarks to a female interpreter and appearing to sexualize a young girl riding a horse.
For decades, behavior like this was dismissed as part of his larger-than-life persona. Today, that legacy is under direct challenge.
Resistance in a country famed for seduction
Godr猫che, who told lawmakers she was 14 when Jacquot first exploited her, has called for reforms to France鈥檚 statute of limitations on child sex crimes and new protections for minors in the arts. Her testimony 鈥� alongside those of other survivors 鈥� has brought rare political attention to a culture of silence that many say pervades French cinema.
Still, resistance remains.
In 2018, actor Catherine Deneuve and more than 100 prominent French women signed an open letter in Le Monde newspaper defending what they called a 鈥渇reedom to bother.鈥� The letter argued that flirtation should not be conflated with harassment and warned against American-style puritanism.
Thomas Adamson, The Associated Press
