PARIS — On Thursday, the public prosecutor in Paris urged for French actor Gérard Depardieu to be deemed guilty and to receive an 18-month suspended prison sentence. This was the concluding day of a court case concerning allegations that the actor sexually assaulted two women involved in film production with him.
The 76-year-old actor faces accusations of groping a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant during the 2021 filming of “Les Volets Verts” (“The Green Shutters”). Depardieu has refuted these claims.
“You’re going to declare Gérard Depardieu guilty of these sexual assaults,” the prosecutor conveyed to the court. Additionally, a fine of 20,000 euros ($21,580) was suggested. The prosecutor criticized Depardieu’s complete denial and lack of self-reflection. The actor did not display any apparent reaction.
The maximum penalty for these charges could reach up to five years of imprisonment and a fine of 75,000 euros ($81,000) if a conviction is achieved. A panel of judges will deliver the verdict on May 13.
With Depardieu’s extensive and remarkable career, this trial has become a significant test post-#MeToo for France and its film industry regarding how they address sexual misconduct and hold influential figures accountable.
Alleged Prolonged Misconduct
Earlier on Thursday, the plaintiffs’ legal representatives described Depardieu as a sexual predator and “misogynist” during their closing arguments. The set dresser’s attorney, Carine Durrieu Diebolt, indicated a history of misconduct spanning decades against “lesser-known” individuals in the cinema realm.
“You might think of him as a great actor and admire his films,” she remarked. “But Depardieu is also a sexual predator.”
His global status made him both an artistic and economic force in the film industry, contrasting the plaintiffs, who faced the risk of career blacklists if they reported him, Durrieu Diebolt stated, condemning what she referred to as a “system of impunity.”
“When Depardieu is touching women’s bodies, he’s exercising his power over them,” she asserted.
During Tuesday’s session, Depardieu accepted that he used vulgar and sexualized language with the set dresser and admitted to grabbing her hips during a dispute but refuted any sexual intentions in his actions.
Lawyer Portrays a Misogynistic Image
The representative for the second plaintiff introduced her statement with an inventory of lewd and vulgar language, rarely vocalized in courtrooms, asserting: “That depicts Gerard Depardieu’s behavior on a film set, the environment he imposes.”
“No, you cannot separate the man from the artist,” the lawyer, Claude Vincent, stated. “He is Gérard Depardieu, a misogynist surrounded by misogynists.”
The assistant accused Depardieu of groping her buttocks and breasts during three separate on-set incidents. Depardieu has continuously rejected these allegations.
The prosecution emphasized Depardieu’s defense of director Roman Polanski, who was embroiled in a long-standing unresolved sexual assault allegation leading to his flight to Europe in 1978. Discussing his professional life mid-trial, Depardieu depicted Polanski as enduring “persecution” for half a century.
“Perhaps I belong to an older world. Certainly,” he remarked.
Depardieu Affirms He’s “Not Like That”
The testimony from three other women—a journalist, a former costume designer, and a comedian—stated they were sexually assaulted by Depardieu in different years: 2007, 2014, and 2015. These claims, however, are bound by the statute of limitations.
Since the trial’s commencement on Monday, Depardieu has remained steadfast in denying the allegations, affirming that he’s “not like that.”
This case is assessed by a trio of judges rather than a jury, typical in such proceedings, with verdicts typically delivered weeks or months post-trial.
Furthermore, Depardieu might face additional legal processes. In 2018, actor Charlotte Arnould accused him of rape at his residence, and in August 2024, prosecutors advocated for that matter to proceed to trial.