PARIS (AP) — Gerard Despardou is not facing two women accusing sexual assault when he stepped into a Paris courtroom Monday. France’s most famous male actors will face a country that has been criticized for failing to deal with sexual violence, especially when committed by the most powerful figures.
Depardieu, 76, has been accused of assaulting a set dresser and assistant director while filming 2021’s “Les Volets Vers” (The Green Shotters). Over 20 women have publicly accused him of sexual misconduct, but this is the first time one of these cases has been brought to trial.
It also tests whether a country known for its culture of seduction, which is the most prominent incident in France, is prepared to hold the Titans of Culture accountable.
Prosecutors say Despardieu locked one of the women in his legs before he groped his hips and chest in front of an eyewitness. In an interview with the investigation outlet Mediapart, the 54-year-old set dresser said Depardieu “I couldn’t even get it up” because of the heat, and said, “Come to my big umbrella and I’ll stick it on your (Nether area). She said he had to grab her forcefully and pull her away to her bodyguard.
The second woman, 34-year-old assistant director, claimed she was groped on the set and on the streets. The plaintiff’s identity has not been revealed to protect victims of sexual violence.
Depardieu denied all allegations.
In an open letter published in Le Figaro in October 2023, he wrote:
He added, “I have just committed the guilt of being too affectionate, too generous, or too strong.”
His lawyer, Jeremy Asas, called the case baseless and said Depardou, who has recently been subjected to a four-fold bypass and suffered from diabetes, will be attending a two-day trial with a scheduled break to address his health.
A culture that is slow to confront abuse
France was often ambiguous and even resistant to the #MeToo movement. Hollywood saw powerful men fall quickly and publicly, but the French film industry responded slower. #MeToo has rejected #MeToo as an American export that is incompatible with French values, citing what it regarded as erosion of free expression and infidelity culture.
Roma Polanski, convicted of illegal sex with a minor in the United States and accused by several other women, lives and continues to work in France with almost impunity. Despite international protests, he remains the decorated figure of a French film. The 2020 Cesar Award for Best Director for “Officers and Spies” urged several women, including actress Adele Hoenell, to step out of the ceremony in protest.
However, the industry offered little institutional pushback, highlighting resistance rooted in confronting abuse when it involved respected cultural figures.
In February, director Christoflgear was found guilty of sexually abusing Haenell as a child. The actress, who had already left the film industry in protest, has become one of the nation’s most prominent voices about abuse.
Actor and filmmaker Judith Godrech also appeared as a major character. In February 2024, in televised testimony, she attended a French parliamentary committee and accused directors Benoit Jacot and Jacques Deuillon of sexually exploiting her as a teenager. “This is not about desire or love,” she told lawmakers. “It’s about power. It’s about systems that allow silence.”
That same committee is called the leading actors and producers, including Jean Dujardin. Some reportedly requested that their appearance be held closed rooms.
Witness and whispers
Anouk Grinberg, the well-respected actor who appeared in “Les Volets Verts,” has publicly endorsed the plaintiff. She described Depardou’s actions as vulgar and intrusive, saying she felt a “sense of shame” on the set.
At the time of the alleged assault in 2021, Depardou was already under official investigation into the rape. In 2018, actor Charlotte accused her of raping her at his home. The case is still active, and in August 2024 prosecutors demanded that they go to trial.
Over his 50-year career, Depardou has appeared in over 200 films, including Cyrano de Bergerac, Jean de Florette, Green Card, and The Man in the Iron Mask. But his off-screen controversy has long made headlines, from drunk driving to urinating in the aisle of a plane.
The 2023 French Television documentary “La Chute de L’Ogre” (The Fall of the Ogre) rekindled debate about his immunity. During her 2018 trip to North Korea, she appeared to have sexually inappropriate comments to a female interpreter and sexually sexually making young girls on horseback.
For decades, such actions were dismissed as part of his realised persona. Today, that legacy lies under a direct challenge.
Countries famous for seduction
Godreche, who told lawmakers she was 14 when Jacco first exploited her, called for reforms to French restrictions on child sex crimes and new protections for minors in the arts. Her testimony, along with the testimony of other survivors, brought rare political attention to the culture of silence that many permeate French cinema.
Still, resistance remains.
In 2018, actor Katherine Deneuve and more than 100 well-known French women signed an open letter in Le Monde’s newspaper in defense of what they call “freedom to care.” The letter warned against American-style Puritanism, insisting that cheating should not be confused with harassment.
