The French actor is on trial for sexual assaults that allegedly took place in 2021 during the filming of the movie "Les volets verts" ("The green shutters"). The trial began in Paris on Monday and on Tuesday, it was Gérard Depardieu's turn to testify.
A now 55-year-old props manager claims to have been subjected to sexual assaults, harassment, and sexist insults. Another woman, an assistant director, alleges that Depardieu subjected her to sexual violence.
Detained
The props manager has told the newspaper Mediapart about how Depardieu, on one occasion, held her fast, "closed his legs" around her, touched her stomach, waist, and up towards her breasts.
Depardieu admitted to touching the woman's hips – to avoid slipping, he said according to Le Monde – when they argued about the film's decor and that he used "dirty language".
I didn't have to talk like that, get angry in that way, voilà, he said and denied committing assaults.
I don't know why I would touch a woman, her back, her breasts. I'm not someone who rubs myself against others in the subway, he said.
Reluctance
He also blamed the #MeToo movement for the trial, according to Le Monde.
The trial against Depardieu is seen as an important test of France's willingness to tackle sexual violence. According to critical voices, the country has struggled with a deeply rooted reluctance to confront assaults involving prominent cultural personalities.
The verdict will be announced later. If Depardieu is convicted, he risks up to five years in prison.
