Why Macron and the French elite still worship Gérard Depardieu

Why Macron And French Elite Admire Gérard Depardieu

The celebrity has faced several allegations of sexual assault, yet has been heavily supported by those in power. However, can this continued support last indefinitely?

In ordinary circumstances, the news of a famous French actor being arrested for allegedly committing two sexual assaults would elicit shock and outrage. However, the fact that the actor in question is Gérard Depardieu has caused people to be so accustomed to similar incidents that it now only produces a sense of disgust and lack of emotion.

A woman who is 53 years old is saying that when they were filming The Green Shutters (2022), Depardieu, who was 73 at the time, grabbed her and touched her breasts inappropriately. Another woman has accused him of doing something sexually violent while on the same set. A third woman has said that Depardieu touched her all over and said things that were not appropriate while she was helping out on the set of The Magician and the Siamese (2015). However, that charge has been dropped because it's been too long since the incident happened. Depardieu says that none of these accusations are true.

We've encountered this situation numerous times before, to the point where it's become common for influential groups within the French establishment to defend Depardieu, even though he's frequently accused.

In the past 12 months, a minimum of 15 females have accused someone of committing sexual assault or rape against them. Just prior to last December, a documentary about Depardieu was broadcasted on the national television channel France 2. This film definitely did not sugarcoat why he deserved the title of "ogre." In fact, it allegedly demonstrated the actor sexually harassing a translator and making an inappropriate comment about a 10-year-old kid, while taking part in the celebration of North Korea's 70th anniversary in Pyongyang in 2018.

The movie also featured an interview with Charlotte Arnould, an actress who accused Depardieu of raping her twice in 2018 at his Paris home. Arnould was only 22 at the time, and Depardieu, a friend of her dad, was 70 years old. Even though Depardieu was charged with both crimes in 2020, the legal process in France is progressing slowly. Depardieu's attorney denied the accusations, stating that he "strongly refutes" them.

Just like the many other allegations made against him that go back for many years, Depardieu firmly denies Arnould's version of events. In an open letter he wrote last October, Depardieu stated that he has never mistreated a woman and denies being a rapist or predator. He went on to assert that harming a woman would be equivalent to injuring his own mother's womb.

On the day when the documentary was broadcasted, Emmanuelle Debever, who was one of the first people to accuse Depardieu, was discovered deceased in the Seine River. Apparently, it was a case of suicide. Back in 1982, they both acted together in the historical drama film named Danton, when Debever was just 19 years old.

She made a serious claim on Facebook in 2019 stating that he had touched her inappropriately while they were filming a carriage scene. In her post, she described how he had taken advantage of the situation and touched her inappropriately by putting his hand under her skirt. This accusation was mentioned in the documentary and it is believed that this may have led to Debever's tragic death.

The response from around the world was fast and severe once the expose was broadcasted. Depardieu was the initial person in history to have an award taken away from him in Canada, specifically, the Order of Quebec. Additionally, Swiss broadcaster RTS chose not to air any movies featuring him in a leading role.

France faced a dilemma when some people started demanding for the revocation of the highest order of merit, the Legion d'Honneur, given to Depardieu in 2016 because of his bad behavior. However, the culture minister, Rima Abdul Malak was unhappy about Depardieu's sexist language and believed that he brought disgrace to France. Conversely, Emmanuel Macron held a different opinion and put a stop to these calls.

During an interview with France 5, Macron was asked if he would consider revoking Depardieu’s title. Macron responded by saying that he refuses to engage in a search for someone, as he hates that approach. Additionally, Macron praised Depardieu, calling him a talented actor who has contributed greatly to France's reputation. Macron is proud to say that Depardieu has made France known to the entire world, and this is true both as a president and a citizen.

Depardieu was a big star in France and Hollywood. He got nominated for the Best Actor César 17 times, kind of like how Meryl Streep gets nominated a lot for awards. He won twice, in 1981 and 1991. People in France loved him after he did a movie called Jean de Florette in 1986. He also did some popular movies in English, like Green Card in 1990 (which did well), Cyrano de Bergerac in 1990 (he got nominated for an Oscar for that one), and 1492: Conquest of Paradise in 1992 (which lots of people didn't like). For about 10 years after that, he was in a bunch of movies made by American movie studios. He played different characters, like imaginary friends (in Bogus), bad guys who sell furs (in 102 Dalmatians), and big musketeers (in The Man in the Iron Mask).

Instead of attempting to maintain a diverse career, Depardieu decided to pursue an unusual post-millennial path by befriending Vladimir Putin. He relocated to Belgium in 2012 as a way to avoid the 75% "supertax" implemented by then-President François Hollande on the wealthiest individuals in France, a move which was met with more criticism from Hollande than from Macron.

Immediately, Putin extended Russian citizenship to him, which he happily embraced. He attributes his camaraderie with Putin, which has sparked jovial memes online of them touching noses, to the fact that both could have easily ended up as delinquents.

In France's movie business, there are different views about Depardieu, and many people agree with what Macron said. A petition called "Don't Erase Gérard Depardieu" was published in the right-wing newspaper Le Figaro, and it aimed to protest against what it called an unfair treatment of the actor. The petition was signed by several of his friends and former colleagues, including Carla Bruni, Charlotte Rampling, and his ex-wife, Carole Bouquet.

Yet, the situation changed when it was revealed that Yannis Ezziadi authored the text. He is not a well-known actor and he writes for an ultra-conservative publication called Causeur. Additionally, he is rumored to have a close relationship with Julie, Depardieu's daughter. This led some of the people who signed the statement, such as Bouquet, film critic Serge Toubiana, and filmmaker Jacques Weber, to publicly distance themselves from the original message.

Meanwhile, there were multiple counter-petitions that quickly followed. One of the most successful had 8,000 signatures and argued that the Ezziadi text in support of Depardieu was disrespectful to his accusers. Another petition called "Address to the Old World" gained support from well-known figures such as actress Anouk Grinberg, who had worked with Depardieu before. Grinberg, whose son's father is one of Depardieu's prominent collaborators, stated that "no one wants to erase the artist," but that Depardieu's talent should not excuse his unacceptable behavior.

According to Grinberg, the crew of The Green Shutters had to put up with Depardieu's disrespectful and inappropriate behavior all day long. She told Agence France-Presse that whenever Depardieu is hired for a movie, the producers should be aware that they are hiring someone who is violent and hostile.

Depardieu has faced various allegations, but he hasn't been charged with any criminal offenses due to the time limits set by French law. For instance, Hélène Darras made a complaint concerning the shooting of the movie Disco in 2007, but it couldn't be pursued further because of the statute of limitations. In another instance, a Spanish reporter named Ruth Baza spoke out in 2023 about an incident from 1995 where she claims that when she was 23, Depardieu kissed and touched her inappropriately without her permission.

Depardieu was set free on the day he was apprehended and is scheduled to stand trial for criminal offenses in October. It is uncertain if these new charges will lead to a significant turning point, as Depardieu's career has been marked by many such moments. Though he has reduced his involvement in film productions - having starred in only The Green Shutters two years ago and the postponed culinary drama Umami in recent times - he has never faced a conviction or been excluded for an extended period from the film industry's approval.

Macron and those who idolize him may need concrete evidence of misconduct before they can stop revering him, but the French public could interpret this high standard for proving sexual assault as a worrisome message. It implies that the reputation of influential men is more crucial than women's safety and believability. Despite facing numerous allegations, Macron continues to hold strong, and it remains unclear if these accusations will significantly affect his standing.