Gerard Depardieu: French actor to face trial over sexual assault allegations
French prosecutors have announced that Gerard Depardieu will have to go through a criminal trial later this year, as he has been accused of committing sexual assaults against two women who were working with him on the set of a movie in 2021.
According to news outlets in France, the famous actor who is 75 years old and has stated that he is innocent, was interrogated by authorities in Paris on the first day of the week.
Christian Saint-Palais, Depardieu's attorney, did not provide any statement to the press except he confirmed that the actor was released from detention.
According to a statement from the public prosecutor's office in Paris, the actor has been ordered to appear in court following the interrogation.
The announcement stated that the trial would commence in October, regarding sexual assaults that are suspected to have occurred in September 2021. The alleged incidents supposedly involved two victims who were on the set of the movie titled The Green Shutters.
During the month of February, a female movie decorator accused a French actor of sexually assaulting her. The actor allegedly touched her inappropriately during the filming of a movie titled Les Volets Verts, which means The Green Shutters in English. The accusations include claims that he touched her waist, stomach, and breasts.
In the meantime, a French website released allegations from 13 different women who collaborated with Depardieu, stating that they were subjected to unwanted advances, sexual touching, and movements, last year.
In 2020, Depardieu was accused by actress Charlotte Arnould of rape and sexual assault, resulting in him being charged with preliminary charges for the same.
The judge in charge of the investigation finished his work on April 17th. He then sent the case to the Paris prosecutor's office. Their job is to review the findings and decide what to do next.
In October of the previous year, Depardieu penned down a public letter to Le Figaro - a well-recognized French magazine - rejecting the accusations of rape and sexual harassment that had been leveled against him.
He expressed that he had never mistreated a woman and that harming a woman would be akin to physically assaulting his own mother.
In the past, he has refuted all the accusations made against him by means of an attorney.
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Depardieu, an internationally recognized representative of French cinema, is one of the best-known celebrities in France, renowned for his performances in movies like Cyrano de Bergerac and Jean de Florette, in addition to popular Hollywood blockbusters including Green Card and The Man In The Iron Mask.
During the course of his career spanning six decades, he has starred in as many as 200 feature films. His name is one that features prominently amongst a select group of French actors who have achieved fame and recognition in Hollywood.
The recent event involving Depardieu occurs as the French film industry is shaken by a delayed realization of the #MeToo movement, which gained worldwide attention in 2017.
During the Cesar Awards in February, French actress Judith Godreche delivered a powerful speech urging the French film industry to confront and acknowledge the reality of sexual violence and physical abuse. The Cesar Awards are France's equivalent to the Oscars.
