Oscar-nominated French actor Gérard Depardieu, 72, has been charged with the rape and sexual assault of a young actress.
The incident occurred in his Paris apartment in 2018 when the two were rehearsing a scene from a play. The Paris public prosecutor’s office launched an investigation in August 2018. However, due to a lack of evidence the case was dropped.
According to the Guardian, a judicial source told Agence France-Presse that the case was reopened last summer after the unnamed French actress refiled her claim. This led to criminal charges being filed against Depardieu in December. The investigating team found "serious and corroborated evidence."
Depardieu has denied the allegations. His lawyer, Hervé Temime, said the actor remains free but under judicial supervision and "completely rejects the accusations."
In 1991, Time magazine published an interview with Depardieu. He was asked about a story he'd told that said he'd participated in a rape at the age of nine. He answered "Yes." When asked if there were "many rapes" after that, he said: "Yes, but it was absolutely normal in those circumstances. That was part of my childhood."
However, Depardieu later denied the remarks published in Time, saying that it was misinterpreted when translated to English, as the Time interview was conducted in French.
Depardieu has had a prolific career, starring in more than 200 movies over 50 years. He was nominated for an Academy Award for playing the title role in Cyrano De Bergerac, and won a Golden Globe for his performance in the 1990 comedy Green Card, co-starring Andie MacDowell. Actress Catherine Deneuve, who starred alongside Depardieu in The Last Metro in 1980, said "The man is dark but the actor is huge."
Over the years, Depardieu has made headlines after being involved in several indecent behaviors. In 2011, he urinated in the aisle of a Paris-Dublin flight. Depardieu appeared to be drunk and was told to remain in his seat as the plane was about to take off. He then stood up and peed on the floor. In 2012, he was detained by Paris police after driving his scooter while drunk. ~Marriska Fernandes
A disgusting Frenchman? Colour me shocked.
Maybe he should take an insanity plea. Sounds ike he's got some real mental issues. Or maybe he's just another narcissist who thinks he should be able to do whatever he wants, with no consequences. A great big fine to pay his victim - and a nice cozy soft cell somewhere in a nuthouse seems to be called for.
No, he deserves to have his day in court and is innocent until proven guilty at least that's how its supposed to be.
Hey, Mike - not as disgusting as the idiotic xenophobic that you are. And for Depardieu, can we wait until he is proven guilty before starting with the hatred? I know I'm asking for the impossible, but still...
YUCK..... If what has been printed is true, it's very disturbing. Let's see what happens. "Rape" was part of his childhood??? What in the world.
Hey R! You don't seem to know French law: you're considered guilty until proven innocent, unlike in Canada. Google it sometime.
He should have his day in court. There's always two sides to a story. All we heard is this unknown actress version. She might be trying to get social media attention. She wouldn't be the first. I certainly hope she's not lying about this. Apart from ruining a person reputation, she is also discrediting all those women that are actually raped and not listen to.
You disgust me “Bobâ€. Explain how she might get attention through social media when her name has never been released? Have you ever been raped Bob? Do you understand the fear and trauma and shame that being raped does to someone? This woman has been fighting for three years, I can’t begin to imagine how painful these years have been for her, and you who would judge her.. you should be ASHAMED of yourself!
Xenophobic idiot, wow R that there is some big 5 cent words your using! LOL!!
Yeah, rapists aren't as bad as the 'unwoke'...right, 'R'????
I always have to laugh at all the male comments with the subject of some rapist, pervert or lecher --- they love to belittle how tragic the event is for a woman or say it probably never happened. There is some other thing going on instead --- she is lying or just looking for attention or money. All males with this type of attitude should be raped -- gang raped would be better.
Depardieu is a scumbag and he should be thrown into a vat of acid.
Elisa.... You find me disgusting for defending women that are actually raped. What’s wrong with you. Her name may not be written in this article but the fact that she was rehearsing with him on a play they would do together clearly shows that the media knows her name. Not long ago, a young man, a student, was kicked out of his college because some girl accused him of sexual assault on social media. In court she admitted that he never touched her but because he showed no interest in her at a college party, she wanted to hurt him back so she accused him of rape on social media. She thought it was funny. Her joke ended up destroying his reputation & his life. My point is that these types of girls end up making it very difficult for anyone who actually does get raped. And the fact that no other women have come forward accusing him of rape should mean that he should bring this to court and hopefully the truth will come out
I agree with Bob. If a woman does get sexually assaulted then she should bring him to court and not post it on social media. Posting this on social media only shows that she wants to hurt him professionally or personally and/or get media attention. In court, if he is guilty, he will face prison time.
Depardieu is way too ugly to be an actor, looks like an Ogre/troll. He probably is a rapist, because nobody would willingly have sex with him unless he paid for it.
He's not too ugly to be an actor in France.