Gérard Depardieu has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women during the filming of the movie Les Volets Verts and has been sentenced to 18 months of "suspended" prison. The actor has announced his intention to appeal the sentence, hailed as "the end of impunity in the French film industry" by Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, lawyer for one of the victims.
The two accusers, a 34-year-old assistant director (Sarah) and a 54-year-old set designer (Amélie), claimed during the trial that the actor subjected them to indecent touching and offensive, sexist comments during the filming of Jules Magin's 2021 film, in which the 76-year-old actor plays the role of a fading star in his career.
"I don't see why I would enjoy groping a woman, her buttocks, or her breasts, I'm not a subway groper," declared the actor during the trial, in a delirious tone that made the court doubt his sobriety more than once.
At one point in his erratic testimony, he admitted to grabbing the set designer by the hips, but claimed he did it "to avoid slipping" while they were talking on the set, and that she did not seem offended. However, Amélie stated that the actor trapped her with his legs in a hallway "like a crab" and subjected her to unwanted touching.
"I've always been told that I'm naturally Russian, I don't know if it's because of the alcohol or vulgarity," admitted the French cinema monster, who became a Russian citizen in 2013, in response to accusations of sexist insults. "Damn! I say it all the time, even to myself. I find it funny!".
The set designer, who was looking for umbrellas to recreate the France of the 70s on stage, stated that the actor took advantage of the situation to make advances in his "wild" style, always ready to make comments about women: "Come touch my big umbrella, I'm going to stick it in your pussy".
Depardieu, who joked about his own sexual prowess due to his obvious overweight, skipped his first court appearance in October citing health issues (a bypass and diabetes). In his anticipated reappearance, he showed signs of fragility, occasionally leaning on the shoulder of his lawyer, Jérémie Assous.
Tension peaked during the trial when actress Anouk Grinberg, who was part of the cast of Les Volets Verts and took a stand against Depardieu, was expelled from the courtroom. The actor had the support of actress Fanny Ardant, who testified in his defense and even offered him a role in her upcoming film as a director.
The news has had a strong impact at the start of the Cannes Film Festival, with veteran actress Juliette Binoche as the jury president.