French actor Gérard Depardieu, who was indicted in 2020 on rape and sexual assault charges, has claimed he’s “neither a rapist, nor a predator” in an open letter.
Depardieu, 74, was accused of raping and sexually assaulting French film star Charlotte Arnould in his Paris mansion in 2018. The case was initially dropped in 2019, with authorities citing a lack of evidence, but was reopened in 2020 when criminal charges were filed.
In April 2023, Depardieu was accused of sexually inappropriate behaviour by 13 women. At the time, he denied any criminality through his Paris-based law firm.
On Sunday (1 October), Depardieu published an open letter in the French-language newspaper Le Figaro. In the piece, the My Father the Hero star wrote that he “can no longer consent to what I’ve heard, what I’ve read about myself for several months”.
“I thought I didn’t care, but no, actually no. This all gets to me,” Depardieu said.
“To the media court, to the lynching that has been reserved for me, I have only my word to defend myself.”
While he did not name Arnould, Depardieu alluded to her accusations, saying: “Today, I can no longer sing Barbara because a woman who wanted to sing Barbara with me accused me of rape.
“I finally want to tell my truth,” he added. “I have never, ever abused a woman. Hurting a woman would be like kicking my own mother in the stomach.”
Depardieu continued: “A woman came to my home... and went up to my bedroom willingly. She now says she was raped there.
Gerard Depardieu— (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
“She came back a second time. There was never any coercion, or violence, or protest between us. She wanted to sing with me Barbara’s songs at the Cirque d’Hiver. I told her no. She filed a complaint.”
The Last Holiday actor was formally charged in December 2020, but has not faced any judicial sentencing.
His career remained largely unimpacted, as Depardieu continued to land appearances in several high-profile projects. This changed when the actor faced fresh allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour by 13 women earlier this year.
In April, the French investigative news website Médiapart reported on numerous cases of alleged groping, obscene comments and inappropriate acts by Depardieu on film and TV sets between 2004 and 2022. These include the French comedy Big House, the period biopic Dumas and Netflix crime show Marseille.
Following the bombshell report, Depardieu’s concert tour was cut short in June. The actor has denied any criminal behaviour through his law firm Cabinet Temime. The company claimed that some of the allegations in the report seem to be based on “very subjective assessments and/or moral judgments”.
Médiapart reported that the accusations against Depardieu involve unwanted touching and groping of young female stars, make-up artists and technical staff, as well as obscene sexual remarks and “persistent groaning noises”.
It was reported that some other colleagues would turn a blind eye to Depardieu’s alleged behaviour, or laugh it off, saying: “Oh, it’s OK, it’s [just] Gérard!”
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
