French actor Gérard Depardieu arrives in court for sexual assault trial

By Pierre Bairin, Saskya Vandoorne and Serene Nourrisson, CNN

Paris (CNN) — The trial of Gérard Depardieu, who has been accused of sexually assaulting two women on a movie set in 2021, began on Monday after a five-month delay due to the French actor’s poor health.

The 76-year-old arrived in the courtroom wearing a formal black suit, smiling as he walked in holding his lawyer’s shoulder.

He faces charges of allegedly assaulting the women while filming “Les Volets Verts,” or “The Green Shutters”.

Depardieu was accused in both cases of using “violence, coercion, surprise, or threat” in the alleged assaults, by trapping the victims between his legs and groping their buttocks, genitals, and chest” over their clothing according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.

Depardieu has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer, Jérémie Assous, told CNN that his client “categorically disputes the facts and says the accusations are all false.”

Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, a lawyer of one of the women, said her client was seeking “a recognition of the facts” in light of Depardieu’s denials. She said the two women are waiting for “judicial recognition, an official acknowledgement by the justice system that they were victims of sexual assaults.”

With more than 240 films under his belt, Depardieu is one of France’s most prolific and famous actors. Internationally, he is known for his roles in films like “Green Card,” “The Man in the Iron Mask” and “Life of Pi.” He was also nominated for an Oscar in 1991 for his role in “Cyrano de Bergerac.”

In a separate case, the actor is facing charges of rape and sexual assault against actress Charlotte Arnould, allegedly committed in August 2018, according to the prosecutor’s office.

The French actor has denied all accusations against him. “Never, absolutely never, have I abused a woman,” he wrote in a letter published in France’s Le Figaro newspaper in October 2023. “Hurting a woman would be like kicking my own mother in the stomach,” he added.

Months later, French President Emmanuel Macron drew criticism after describing Depardieu’s situation as a “manhunt” in comments on French TV and expressing his admiration for “an immense actor” who is “making France proud.”

The support was not well received by many in France, including by former president François Hollande who declared: “No, we are not proud of Gérard Depardieu! … what was expected of the President of the Republic was to talk about the women rather than stating that Gérard Depardieu is a great actor.”

Macron later walked back his remarks, in an interview with ELLE magazine in May 2024, insisting he “never defended an aggressor against its victims” but that the presumption of innocence should be respected.

Investigative journalist Marine Turchi has interviewed more than 20 women who allegedly faced sexual harassment or attacks at the hands of the actor, with some testimonies of abuse dating back to 1985. Some of these allegations would be subject to the statute of limitations; Depardieu denies all the claims made.

“The world of cinema is typically a place where there can be abuses of power. It’s a setting with a very strong hierarchy, where highly powerful decision-makers – often still men – interact with freelancers, technicians, makeup artists, extras, actresses, and others who have no power,” Turchi, who writes for the French online newspaper Mediapart, told CNN.

Turchi believes France’s smaller film industry – in comparison to Hollywood – makes speaking up harder. “You can very quickly be identified as the person who spoke up, someone who might be seen as a bit troublesome,” she said.

Depardieu’s legal woes extend further, with the actor also under investigation for “tax fraud, aggravated tax fraud, and money laundering,” a judicial source told CNN.

In 2013, Depardieu set up residence in the Belgian village of Néchin, adjacent to the border with France. The small town with a population of just over 2,000 people initially welcomed him as an honorary citizen, but he was stripped of the title in 2023 following the allegations of sexual misconduct.

Investigators suspect that the actor never lived there and the property was set up to avoid paying taxes in France. Searches were carried out in France and Belgium last month to determine if his Belgian tax domicile was fictitious.

“The tax authorities have been trying for years to establish fraud, without success; they are now attempting through criminal proceedings,” Assous, Depardieu’s lawyer, told CNN.

Monday’s sexual assault trial is scheduled to last two days, with a verdict expected a few weeks after. If found guilty, the French actor could face up to five years in prison and a €75,000 ($81,000) fine.

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CNN’s Dalal Mawad contributed to this story.