PARIS — French actor Gérard Depardieu went on trial Monday in Paris on costs of sexually assaulting two girls on a film set, in a case seen as a possible watershed for the #MeToo motion in France.
Depardieu, 76, is accused of getting groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant director throughout filming in 2021 of “Les Volets Verts” (“The Inexperienced Shutters”).
The actor faces as much as 5 years in jail and a superb of 75,000 euros ($81,000) if convicted.
Depardieu denies any wrongdoing. He informed the judges that he was ready to reply the courtroom’s questions.
“We will present in an neutral, goal and incontestable method that all the accusations are lies,” his lawyer, Jérémie Assous, informed journalists massed exterior the courtroom.
“The reality will likely be apparent and the reality is on our aspect,” he stated.
Depardieu’s lengthy and storied profession has turned the trial right into a post- #MeToo check of the willingness of France and its film trade to confront sexual violence and maintain influential males accountable.
Depardieu has been a darling of French cinemagoers for many years and was Oscar-nominated in 1991 for his efficiency as swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac.
However his alleged boorish conduct off-screen has additionally lengthy made headlines. He has been accused publicly or in formal complaints of misconduct by greater than 20 girls, however to date solely the sexual assault case has proceeded to courtroom. Some others had been dropped due to a scarcity of proof or the statute of limitations.
Feminist and historian Florence Montreynaud described Depardieu’s courtroom look as “a historic second” for ladies’s rights, as she joined different campaigners who demonstrated exterior the courtroom. A dozen chanted “Sexist violence, complicit judicial system” as they danced to techno music.
“Instances are altering. “#MeToo has swept by means of. Ultimately, mentalities are altering,” Montreynaud stated to French broadcaster BFMTV.
The trial additionally follows within the wake of the historic case final yr involving Gisèle Pelicot, whose bravery put the highlight on sexual violence in France. She demanded that the drugging-and-rape trial for 51 males tried for a horrific catalogue of abuse on her be held in open courtroom, arguing that doing so would assist make disgrace change sides.
France has usually been ambivalent — even resistant — towards the #MeToo motion. Whereas Hollywood noticed highly effective males fall swiftly and publicly, the French movie trade was slower to reply. Some dismissed #MeToo as an American export incompatible with French values, citing issues over free expression and what they considered as an erosion of flirtation tradition.
On the time of the alleged assaults, Depardieu was already beneath formal investigation for rape. In 2018, actor Charlotte Arnould accused him of raping her at his house. That case remains to be energetic, and in August 2024, prosecutors requested that it go to trial.
Prosecutors say Depardieu trapped the set dresser along with his legs earlier than groping her waist and breasts in entrance of witnesses. She says the actor additionally used obscene language and needed to be pulled away by bodyguards.
The assistant director alleged that Depardieu groped her each on set and on the street.
The ladies sat aspect by aspect in courtroom. The Related Press doesn’t identify individuals who say they had been sexually assaulted until they consent to being recognized. Neither has carried out so on this case.
The trial is anticipated to final a minimum of two days, however may very well be prolonged past Tuesday, if the chief decide needs extra time. The trial was initially scheduled for October, however then postponed due to Depardieu’s well being. A verdict is anticipated at a later date.
Depardieu grasped his lawyer’s shoulder as he strode calmly into the courtroom. The actor has undergone a quadruple coronary heart bypass and has diabetes, in response to his lawyer. A court-appointed medical knowledgeable decided that he’s match to face trial, however really helpful that the hearings do not exceed six hours, with a 15-minute pause and snack each three hours.
The primary hours of Monday’s listening to had been largely taken up by Depardieu’s lawyer, who sought to solid doubt on witness testimony and the police investigation. The lawyer alleged, with out offering proof, that police acted beneath directions from magistrates who led the investigation to “make Depardieu fall.”
Depardieu listened intently, typically nodding.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys had been anticipated to put out their proof later. One of many attorneys, Carine Durrieu Diebolt, stated on France Data radio earlier than the trial opened that “the case is stable” and that her shopper is “calmly awaiting the result.”
She stated that 4 further girls who say they’ve been sexually assaulted by Depardieu will testify.
In an open letter printed in October 2023, Depardieu wrote: “By no means, however by no means, have I abused a girl.”
The actor had dropped out of sight in latest months, his movie profession seemingly on maintain. However he nonetheless has associates within the trade. Actors Vincent Perez and Fanny Ardant had been amongst those that took seats on his aspect of the courtroom.
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Thomas Adamson contributed to this report.
