French actor Gérard Depardieu, who was already charged with rape and sexual assault in connection with a 2018 case, is now charged with sexual violence and sexual misconduct by 13 women in an investigative report published by Mediapart that lists actresses, makeup artists and production staff, some of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, who located abuses during the filming of 11 films released between 2004 and 2022.
Sexual abuse and insults with the complicity of the team
According to Mediapart, an actress would have already informed the French justice system, but so far none of these 13 women have taken legal action against Depardieu, according to a statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office, which continues with the process of the lawsuit filed by Charlotte Arnaud. Meanwhile, Depardieu’s legal representation, Cabinet Temime, denied all the accusations and issued a lengthy statement saying that the actor:
“does not intend to address the article, which appears to mix up very diverse topics, including some highly subjective assessments and/or moral judgments, and formally denies all allegations that could be subject to criminal law”
One of the accounts was provided by a former extra who worked on a movie called ‘The Box’ in 2015 and said that Depardieu “he reached under his dress and tried to get into my panties“. and cWhen she pushed him, he allegedly became “aggressive” and “she tried to push my panties to the side to touch her“. Filming was halted because “an extra said he had been a victim of Gérard Depardieu” and the scene was eventually altered so that the extra was no longer with Depardieu, according to the anonymous production crew member.
An actress who worked on the film said she heard Depardieu “screaming that he could have whoever he wanted and that he didn’t want her, that she was a ‘fat pig'”. The investigative piece also reported an incident that allegedly occurred during the filming of ‘Disco’, in which Helène Darras told Mediapart that “grabbed her around the waist” and had a “wandering hand, he put his hand on my butt insistently” and suggested they go to her dressing room. The directors and producers denied having seen any incidents during the course of filming.
Among other accusations, there is talk of inappropriate phrases of a sexual nature, “insistent grunts and snorts a few inches from them“. It is also noted that many of these acts were committed “in full view of all, with no desire to hide” and it is highlighted that they faced “the laughter or the complacency of the production teams”. In a specific case, the reaction of the set was ‘Oh, it’s Gérard, he’s a bit provocative”.