Paris – French film star Gérard Depardieu The fall of grace is now complete.
Depardieu was convicted on Tuesday to sexually assault two women on the set of a film in which he starred in 2021 and gave him a suspended prison sentence of 18 months. It was also fined with a total of 29,040 euros (around $ 32,350), and the court requested that it be registered in the National Database of Sexual Criminals.
The 76 -year -old actor has been convicted for gropening a 54 -year -old dressing table and a 34 -year -old assistant during the filming of “Les Volets Verts” (“Green blinds”). The case was widely seen as a key test after#metoo of how French society and its film industry address accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior that involve prominent figures.
Depardieu, who has denied the accusations, did not attend the audience in Paris. Depardieu’s lawyer said his client appealed the decision.
“It is the victory of two women, but it is the victory of all women beyond this trial,” said Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, the dresser’s lawyer. “Today we hope to see the end of impunity for an artist in the world of cinema. I think that with this decision we can no longer say that it is not a sexual abuser. And today, as the Cannes Film Festival opens, I would like the world of cinema to think about the victims of Gérard Depardieu.”
The long and historic Depardieu career told the Court that he has made more than 250 films, has made him a giant of the French film. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1991 for his performance as a swing and poet Cyrano de Bergerac.
During the four -day trial in March, Depardieu rejected the accusations, saying that “it is not so.” He acknowledged that he had used a vulgar and sexualized language in the film and that he grabbed the dresser hips During an argument, but denied that his behavior was sexual.
Set’s dress described the alleged assault, saying that the actor punctured her between her legs while she squeezed him in a narrow corridor.
She said he grabbed her hips and then began to “feel” behind and “on the front, around.” He passed his hands near his buttocks, hips and pubic area to show what he allegedly experienced. She said she later grabbed her chest.
The woman also testified that Depardieu used an obscene expression to ask her to touch her penis and suggested that she wanted to violate her. She told the Court that the quiet and cooperative attitude of the actor during the trial did not resemble her behavior at work.
The other plaintiff, an assistant, said that the buttocks and their breasts are groped during three separated incidents on the set of the film.
Associated Press does not identify with the name of the people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to be identified. None of the women has done it in this case.
The Public Prosecutor of Paris had requested that Depardieu was declared guilty and gave him a suspended prison sentence of 18 months and a fine of 20,000 euros ($ 22,200). The prosecutor denounced the “total denial and failure of the actor to question himself.”
Some figures in the world of French cinema have expressed support to Depardieu. The actors Vincent Pérez and Fanny Ardant were among those who sat next to the courtroom.
Depardieu has been accused Public or in formal complaints of misconduct for more than 20 women, but so far only the case of sexual aggression has proceeded to court. Some other cases were withdrawn due to the lack of evidence or the statute of limitations.
The actor may have to face other legal procedures soon.
In 2018, actor Charlotte Arnort accused him of raping her at home. That case is still active, and in August 2024 the prosecutors requested that it be in trial.
For more than half a century, Depardieu stopped as an imposing figure in French cinema, a titan known for its dominant physical presence, instinct, sensitivity and remarkable versatility.
A Bon Vivant that overcame an impediment of speech and a turbulent youth, Depardieu jumped to fame in the 1970s and became one of the most prolific and acclaimed actors in France, portraying a wide range of characters, from strange volatile to deeply introspective figures.
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Samuel Petrequin contributed to this report.
