Gérard Depardieu, the internationally acclaimed French actor, has been recently charged with rape. He was convicted this past summer for sexually assaulting two women during the production of the film in Paris. The court handed down the decision in Depardieu’s absence. In turn, he was issued an 18-month suspended jail time and put on the sex offender registry. These claims were based on events that occurred in September 2021. These occurrences actually unfolded in front of the camera of “Les Volets Verts” (The Green Shutters).
The trial revealed Depardieu’s accuser’s alarming allegations. Two women, including Amélie, a set designer, and Sarah, the film’s assistant director, accused him of misconduct. Amélie told us how he snatched her up between his legs and suspended her by the hips following a little upset. Sarah claimed that he groped her ass and chest over her clothing on three different occasions.
Depardieu’s counsel of defense, Jérémie Assous, claimed that the women were perjuring themselves on the stand. He called the charges baseless and announced his intent to appeal the ruling.
“They cannot bear that there should even be a defence. They think any defence is a supplementary assault.” – Jérémie Assous
The court noted contradictions between Depardieu’s versions of the events over the years, and that weighed against him. The judge covered the bases by giving him a suspended prison term. He has to compensate Amélie and Sarah each with €1,000 (£840) for “secondary victimization.”
Depardieu was already committed to shooting a movie on location in the Azores. He was not in court to listen to the verdict. Earlier this month, he started filming with the French actress and director, Fanny Ardant – a close friend of his. If upheld, this conviction would be Depardieu’s first conviction at trial on sexual assault charges.
Following the verdict, Depardieu expressed his feelings about the situation, stating, “My name has been dragged through the mud by lies and insults.”
Something in the air gave an unusual urgency to his musings on what makes a good actor’s trial. That he would ever get that call, he said, was surreal.
“A trial can be a very special experience for an actor. Seeing all this anger, the police, the press. It’s like being in a science fiction film, except it’s not science fiction. It’s life.” – Gérard Depardieu
The new allegations against Depardieu had been known for three years, almost ruining his career overnight. As far as he’s concerned, he hasn’t acted since these allegations surfaced.
Fanny Ardant, his co-collaborator on the new work in the Azores, gave her perspective. In so doing she underscored the profound artistry we should all embrace with his complexity.
“Genius – in whatever form it takes – carries within it an element of the extravagant, the untamed, the dangerous. (Depardieu) is the monster and the saint.” – Fanny Ardant
Laurent Guy reflected on the duality that can exist within talented people.
“It’s perfectly possible to be an excellent actor and a great father – and still commit a crime.” – Laurent Guy
With that chapter of the legal saga closed for now, Assous has announced that he will appeal the ruling. The result of this particular case raises some key questions on the film industry accountability front. It taps into larger societal conversations in the wake of #MeToo regarding sexual assault and consent.
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