Health reasons

Gérard Depardieu wants to postpone trial date

The trial against Gérard Depardieu was due to begin in Paris on Monday. Now the actor wants to postpone the start due to health problems.

(Bild: AFP/Valery HACHE)

The trial against French film star Gérard Depardieu for alleged sexual assaults on two women was due to begin in Paris on Monday. However, the actor wants the trial to be postponed for health reasons. His lawyer Jérémie Assous told France Info. 

The 75-year-old is asking for a postponement so that he can be present in person. He would like to have his say, he said. If Depardieu is found guilty, he could face up to five years in prison and an additional fine of 75,000 euros, according to the Paris public prosecutor's office.

Alleged to have groped women
Women have been accusing him of sexual assault for years. Now France's film icon ("Cyrano of Bergerac", "Asterix and Obelix") has to stand trial for the first time. Two women are accusing Depardieu of groping them in 2021 during the filming of Jean Becker's movie "Les volets verts" (The Green Shutters).

Depardieu's lawyer appeared before the press on Monday.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Bertrand GUAY)

According to lawyer Assous, Depardieu wanted to prove that he was "merely the target of false accusations". The lawyer accused the plaintiffs of trying to enrich themselves by claiming compensation of between 6,000 and 30,000 euros.

Harassed and touched
According to information from the Paris public prosecutor's office, one of the two plaintiffs, a decorator, accused the actor of pulling her towards him when he was sitting in a corridor and she walked past him. He allegedly pinned her with his legs, touched her buttocks, her sex and her breast over her clothes. He is said to have accompanied his gestures with obscene remarks. The woman filed a lawsuit against him in February for sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexist insults.

For years, Depardieu has been confronted with accusations that he has sexually harassed women. He was due to stand trial in two cases on Monday - but now wants to have the trial postponed.

(Bild: APA/AFP/El Gouna Film Festival/Ammar Abd Rabbo)

According to the public prosecutor's office, the second plaintiff, an assistant to the director, alleged that Depardieu touched her breasts and buttocks on set. He had previously allegedly harassed her on the street. She filed a lawsuit in March 2024.

Years of allegations against Depardieu
For years, more and more women have been coming forward to accuse the award-winning actor of sexual assault. In 2018, actress Charlotte Arnould sued him. The case has been under investigation since 2020. He is alleged to have assaulted Arnould twice. Depardieu could face the next trial in this case.

Protests took place outside the court building in Paris on Monday.

(Bild: APA/AFP/GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT)

The online newspaper "Mediapart", which regularly causes a stir with investigative stories, published an article in April 2023 in which 13 women accused him of sexual assault or inappropriate sexual comments. They denounce incidents that allegedly took place mainly during film shoots between 2004 and 2022.

Depardieu sees himself as a victim of "media lynch law"
Depardieu completely denies the allegations. In a letter published in the newspaper "Le Figaro" at the beginning of October 2023, he describes himself as the victim of a "media lynch law". In it, he admitted that he had been "provoked, exaggerated, sometimes abusive" throughout his life, but that he was not a rapist. He also wrote that Arnould had voluntarily gone to his room with him.

At the end of 2023, Depardieu also shocked viewers with misogynistic and degrading comments in the investigative TV magazine "Complément d'enquête" about his trip to North Korea, during which he visited a stud farm, among other things.

In the report, he says in front of the camera while a young girl on a horse appears in the picture: "Women like to ride because their clitoris rubs against the saddle." Depardieu claims that the images were taken out of context and are fictitious. In mid-October, a Paris court ordered an expert opinion to determine whether the images had been manipulated.

Projects put on hold
Depardieu has starred in over 200 films, many of which have become cinematic classics, such as "The Outlaws", "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "The Last Metro". Since the mounting accusations, however, more and more people are distancing themselves from him.

France Télévisions, France's public broadcaster, announced weeks ago that it would be reviewing its broadcasting plans with Depardieu and putting all projects with him on hold for the time being. A collaboration with him for the animated film "La plus précieuse des marchandises" by Michel Hazanavicius was also abandoned - by mutual agreement, according to reports.