French actor Gérard Depardieu has denied any criminal behavior after facing a new wave of sexual assault and harassment allegations made by 13 women over the past two decades.
French investigative news website Médiapart on Tuesday reported several alleged cases of sexually inappropriate behavior such as having "a wandering hand," groping and making obscene remarks. The alleged incidents, recounted by actresses, makeup artists and production staff, had "varying degrees of seriousness" and are reported to have occurred between 2004 and 2022, in public places and on film and TV sets during the making of 11 projects, including on the French comedy "Big House," the biopic "Dumas" and the Netflix crime series "Marseille."
The monthslong investigation began after numerous women shared their personal stories on the Instagram account of French actor-director Andréa Bescond, a prominent figure involved in the fight against sexual violence, who told Médiapart that Depardieu is "the only public personality about whom I've received so many stories." In the report, the women made allegations of groping — in their pants, between their legs, on their butt or on their chest — enduring obscene sexual remarks and sometimes having to put up with "persistent groaning noises."
