The French actor testified in court for first time against accusations that he groped a co-worker, after years of serious allegations over his behavior.
The French movie star Gérard Depardieu admitted grabbing a female colleague by the hips and insulting her professional abilities but denied accusations of sexual assault, as he testified in court on Tuesday for the first time since a number of women have filed police complaints against him.
Accusations against Mr. Depardieu have mounted since the #MeToo movement arrived in the country and articles criticizing his behavior began to appear in the French press. At least six women have filed complaints with the police accusing Mr. Depardieu of rape, sexual harassment and assault. He has consistently denied all the charges.
In a Paris court on Tuesday, he faced one of two women who have accused him of sexual assault in this case. Amélie, a set decorator who has been identified only by her first name, has accused Mr. Depardieu of groping her on the set of “Les Volets Verts,” a 2022 film they both worked on. The actor said he grabbed her to keep from slipping and to ensure she could hear him. If found guilty, he faces up to five years of prison and a fine of 75,000 euros, about $81,000.
Mr. Depardieu is among France’s most famous actors, starring in over 230 movies and winning dozens of awards and accolades, driven in part by his unfiltered personality and bawdy sense of humor. For many, the court case against him seems like a sign of the progress that #MeToo has finally made in the country, where it met much resistance.
Sitting on a special cube-like stool that he brought with him for the trial, Mr. Depardieu told the court that his reputation had been ruined by a movement that he said was “becoming a terror” and that painted him unjustly. “It’s been three years since I’ve worked,” said Mr. Depardieu, 76.
In their testimony, Mr. Depardieu and Amélie painted very different pictures of what happened.
Amélie, 54, told the court that she had been working on the film set in 2021 and that Mr. Depardieu was sitting on his cube-stool in the hall and loudly making bawdy statements in between his takes.
