French actor Gérard Depardieu convicted of sexual assault
French movie star Gérard Depardieu was convicted Wednesday of sexually assaulting two women on a set and received an 18-month suspended prison sentence in a case that was widely seen as a post-#MeToo test for the country's film industry.
The 76-year-old Depardieu, one of the most prominent figures in French cinema for decades, must also pay both accusers a total of €29,040 (NZ$54,679) in fines, and the court ordered that his name be listed in the national sex offender database.
The actor was convicted of groping a 54-year-old woman responsible for decorating the set and a 34-year-old assistant during the filming of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) in 2021.
Depardieu, who has denied the accusations, did not attend the hearing in Paris. His lawyer said that his client would appeal the decision.
The case offered a fresh assessment of how French society and its filmmakers would handle sexual misconduct allegations against a top actor in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
One of the accusers, the set dresser, said she was 'very much satisfied' with the verdict.
'I'm very moved,' she told reporters. 'That's a victory for me, really, and a big progress, a step forward. I feel justice was made.'
Her lawyer, Carine Durrieu Diebolt, said 'it is the victory of two women, and it is the victory of all women beyond this trial".
'Today we hope to see the end of impunity for an artist in the world of cinema," Durrieu Diebolt said. "I think that with this decision, we can no longer say that he is not a sexual abuser. And today, as the Cannes Film Festival opens, I'd like the film world to spare a thought for Gérard Depardieu's victims."
A suspended sentence means that Depardieu does not have to go to prison unless he commits another offence. Suspended sentences are common in France for a wide range of crimes.
The court said it took into account Depardieu's age, his poor health and his criminal record, which included one prior unrelated conviction, although the court offered no details.
Depardieu's long and storied career — he told the court that he's made more than 250 films — has turned him into a French movie giant. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1991 for his performance as the swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac.
In recent years, the actor has been accused publicly or in formal complaints of misconduct by more than 20 women, but so far only the sexual assault case has proceeded to court. Some other cases were dropped because of a lack of evidence or an expired statute of limitations.
During the four-day trial in March, Depardieu rejected the accusations, saying he's 'not like that'. He acknowledged using vulgar and sexual language on the film set and that he grabbed the set dresser's hips during an argument, but denied that his behaviour was sexual.
The court, composed of a panel of three judges, concluded that Depardieu's explanations in court were 'unpersuasive' and 'not credible" and stressed both accusers' 'constant, reiterated and substantiated declarations'.
The court also said that both plaintiffs have been faced with an 'aggressive' defence strategy 'based on comments meant to offend them'. The judges therefore concluded that comments by Depardieu's lawyer in court aggravated the harm to the accusers and justified higher fines.
Depardieu's lawyer, Jérémie Assous, regretted that the court 'considered that questioning the accusations is an additional assault ... which means that now the defence, even in this type of trial, is no longer accepted."
The set dresser, whose duties could include choosing the furniture and paintings that will appear in a movie, said the actor used his legs as pincers to hold her as she squeezed past him in a narrow corridor.
She said he grabbed her hips then started groping her behind and 'in front, around.' She ran her hands near her buttocks, hips and pubic area to show where she was touched. She said he then grabbed her chest.
The woman also testified that Depardieu used an obscene expression to ask her to touch his penis and suggested he wanted to rape her. She told the court that the actor's calm and cooperative attitude during the trial bore no resemblance to his behaviour at work.
The other plaintiff, an assistant, said Depardieu groped her buttocks and breasts during three separate incidents on the film set.
The Associated Press does not identify by name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to be named. Neither woman has done so in this case, although one has agreed to be pictured.
Some figures in the French cinema world have expressed their support for Depardieu. Actors Vincent Perez and Fanny Ardant were among those who took seats on his side of the courtroom.
French media reported last week that Depardieu was shooting a film directed by Ardant in the Azores archipelago, in Portugal.
The actor may have to face other legal proceedings soon.
In 2018, actor Charlotte Arnould accused him of raping her at his home. That case is still active, and in August 2024 prosecutors requested that it go to trial.
For more than a half-century, Depardieu stood as a towering figure in French cinema, a titan known for his commanding physical presence, instinct, sensibility and remarkable versatility.
A bon vivant who overcame a speech impediment and a turbulent youth, Depardieu rose to prominence in the 1970s and became one of France's most prolific and acclaimed actors, portraying a vast array of characters, from volatile outsiders to deeply introspective figures.
In recent years, his behaviour toward women has come under renewed scrutiny, including after a documentary showed him repeatedly making obscene remarks and gestures during a 2018 trip to North Korea.
Actor Juliette Binoche, who presides over the jury for the 78th Cannes Film Festival, said that Depardieu is 'apparently no longer sacred', adding 'it makes us reflect on the power some people have'.
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