French actor Gerard Depardieu found guilty of sexually assaulting two women
French actor Gerard Depardieu has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women – and handed an 18-month suspended sentence.
Depardieu, 76, was convicted by a court in Paris of groping the women during the filming of the 2021 movie Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters).
Both victims had been working on the film in behind-the-scenes roles.
Following his convictions, Depardieu was fined €29,040 (about £24,000) and the court requested that he is registered in the national sex offender database.
His lawyer Jeremie Assous said the star, who denied assault and did not attend Tuesday’s hearing, will appeal against the verdict.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘Depardieu protected by film industry for decades’
The two victims said they were scared to speak out at the time and were intimidated by Depardieu. “I was petrified”, said one of the women, a set designer named Amelie.
She told the court that Depardieu had trapped her between his legs as she tried to get past him in a corridor, and had then run his hands over her body. “He terrified me – he looked like a madman,” she said.
Amelie, a set designer assaulted by Depardieu, speaks to reporters after the verdict. Pic: Reuters
Depardieu had denied the allegations, and had received support from many actors, directors and even at one point, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who had previously described the actor as “the pride of France”.
However, his victims said that he attacked them – first using obscene, vulgar and explicit language towards the women before sexually assaulting them.
The court heard that the actor first used vulgar language to abuse them and then grabbed them and ran his hands over their bodies, making crude sexual advances towards them.
Gerard Depardieu arriving for his trial in March. Pic: Reuters
‘The end of impunity’
Depardieu, who has appeared in more than 200 movies, claimed that he did not even know what sexual assault was.
But judge Thierry Donard said Depardieu’s explanation of events had been unconvincing and, at times, contradictory.
Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, the lawyer representing victim Amelie, told the court that Depardieu had specifically targeted women who did not enjoy a high profile, saying he would never treat a famous actor the way he behaved towards his two victims.
“He is strong with the weak, and weak with the strong,” she said.
Following the verdict, she told reporters: “It is the victory of two women, but it is the victory of all the women beyond this trial.
“Today we hope to see the end of impunity for an artist in the world of cinema.
“I think that with this decision, we can no longer say that he is not a sexual abuser. And today, as the Cannes Film Festival opens, I’d like the film world to spare a thought for Gerard Depardieu’s victims.”
Lawyer Carine Durrieu-Diebolt (right) represented Amelie (centre right). Pic: AP.
‘Women were put in danger’
During cross-examination, Depardieu admitted he had first denied ever touching Amelie, then said he grasped her hips to stop himself from falling over, and then claimed he had grabbed her to get her attention.
Amelie described his account as “obviously completely false” and said she had been mentally scarred by the encounter.
Read more from the trial:
What does the trial mean for #MeToo in France?
Inside the court during the Depardieu trial
Away from the court, Ms Diebolt told Sky News that, after years of being tolerated due to his fame, Depardieu was finally being held accountable for his actions.
“These women were put in danger,” she said. “This is about a line of offences that he committed over many years that were tolerated by the world of cinema because it was Gerard Depardieu.
“Because the financial benefits he brings to the industry are so substantial. He did make some excellent films, but all men are equal before the law.
“Nobody warned Amelie about Depardieu’s behaviour, so his words and actions came as a terrible surprise for her. She still has traumatic flashbacks.”
Rape allegation
Depardieu’s reputation is now in tatters, and there may be more allegations to come.
Ms Diebolt told Sky News that around 20 other women have said that they were attacked by the actor.
And we already know that Depardieu will stand trial again later this year, this time charged with raping the actress Charlotte Arnould.
Ms Arnould has accused Depardieu, a friend of her parents, of raping her at his mansion in Paris.
Charlotte Arnould has accused Depardieu of rape. File pic: Reuters
When she returned to the house to confront him, she alleges that he raped her once again. Depardieu denies both allegations. If he were to be found guilty, he would face a substantial prison sentence.
Depardieu’s sexual assault conviction is being seen as an important step forward for France’s growing MeToo movement, which he described as “a terror” during the proceedings.
Women demonstrated outside the court in March. Pic: Aurelien Morissard/AP
Gerard Depardieu reacted as he appeared at the courthouse in March. Pic: Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters
After a letter of support Depardieu received prior to the trial from prominent actors and directors, a separate group of around 600 artists wrote their own, condemning the culture of “impunity” and calling for the actor to be fully investigated.
‘Wall of silence’
Emmanuelle Dancourt, president of MeToo Media, told me: “Depardieu is a man with a lot of money around him.
“Everybody could see Depardieu talking badly to women, putting his hand in the wrong place on a woman’s body and saying things that are wrong.
“But Gerard Depardieu’s best friend is silence. In France, you have a wall of silence, and this means impunity. If you are a man with a lot of power and a lot of money, you can do whatever you want.”
The star pictured in Cannes in 1997, arguably at the height of his career. Pic: Reuters
Former French President Jacques Chirac awards Depardieu the Legion d’honneur at the Elysee Palace in 1996. Pic: Reuters
Depardieu’s popularity has declined as more and more claims emerged about his conduct.
A recent documentary about him featured footage, filmed in North Korea, of the actor making lewd comments as a young girl rode past on a horse.
When Mr Macron offered his support to Depardieu, denouncing what he called “a manhunt” against the star, another French actor, James Bond star Lea Seydoux, said the president’s words had given a “bad image” of France.
Depardieu was given Russian citizenship as a gift by Vladimir Putin.
Entertainment
‘I’m shocked at how fragile I am still’: Cumberbatch and Colman on protecting their sanity from perils of social media
Actor Benedict Cumberbatch says he’s shocked at how “fragile” he still is – despite years in the spotlight and success in the industry.
It might seem like the Doctor Strange star and The Crown actress Olivia Colman have it all when it comes to money and success – but they are also human like the rest of us.
The pair lead the cast of new satirical black comedy The Roses, which sees picture-perfect couple Ivy and Theo Rose – a rising star chef and ambitious architect – raise their two children in California, while chasing their own dreams.
‘I am shocked at how fragile I am’
But behind its dark humour and comic language, the film also looks at the realities of power imbalance, insecurity and wounded pride – in even the strongest of relationships.
And 49-year-old Cumberbatch – whose character faces a major setback in his career – tells Sky News that in real life the glare of social media only intensifies those type of situations.
“I am shocked at how fragile I am still.
“I don’t go anywhere near it [social media] because of that.
“It’s like walking into a place where people want to marry you or kill you. Those extremes.
“I think we will get to a stage, a corporate culture that’s now manifested around it where people are obliged to do that in order to sell their lives, and therefore their brand and what they do for a living.”
Co-star Colman – who’s long-shunned the online world – agrees.
Cumberbatch and Colman in The Roses. Pic: Jaap Buitendijk/ Searchlight Pictures
Read more from Sky News:
Taylor Swift announces engagement to Travis Kelce – and reveals huge ring
Bridgerton creator on ‘bizarre’ criticism – Watch
“I’m afraid I am very thin-skinned.
“I don’t look at any of it. My husband will look at a review and if it’s nice he’ll show me – but if it’s anything mean he knows to just go ‘don’t look – don’t look.’
“You just have to learn to be thicker-skinned.
“But actually, I think we need people who are sensitive and kind.”
‘Don’t do it… delete it all’
Colman – now 51, and whose leading role in The Favourite bagged her an Academy Award in 2019 – says no amount of experience and success can shield her from criticism.
“My advice to a young’un – sort of dipping their toe into the world of social media for the first time is absolutely don’t do it.
“Delete it all. If you want a happy life, don’t have any of it. I’ve never had it.”
The movie – directed by Meet The Parents’ Jay Roach with The Favourite screenwriter Tony McNamara – also calls into question the notion of success – asking, is it really possible to have it all?
Or is sacrifice inevitable when it comes to spinning the plates of a high-flying career, marriage and parenthood?
Cumberbatch admits “you can’t do it all without there being a cost”.
“You just have to weigh up what those balances are,” he adds.
Colman says “there are I suppose little sacrifices along the way” – from both sides of a relationship.
The comedy drama offers a fresh take on Warren Adler’s novel The War Of The Roses – and the 1989 hit film adaptation- starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.
Colman and Cumberbatch – both producers on the film – insist they weren’t daunted by that though.
“We wanted to find a project to do together, and we have utter respect for the iconic status of the film and book,” explains Cumberbatch.
“Hopefully this will have its own place in the culture – it’s very different, it’s not a remake – it’s a reimagined jumping-on point.”
“But beyond that, it’s very different,” adds Colman.
Former Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa and Barbie’s Kate McKinnon also form the cast.
The Roses is out in UK cinemas now.
Entertainment
Top Boy and Eddington actor Micheal Ward granted bail as he appears in court on rape charges
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment11 months agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024