Gerard Depardieu, French Actor, Accused of Sexual Harassment by 13 Women

In an investigative report published by ‘Mediapart’ and quoted by ‘Variety’, 13 women have accused French actor Gerard Depardieu, 74, of sexual misconduct.

Paris: Celebrated French actor Gerard Depardieu, 74, who’s already indicted on rape and sexual assault charges in connection to a 2018 case, is now being accused of sexual misconduct by 13 women in an investigative report published by ‘Mediapart’ and quoted by ‘Variety’.

The accusations were made by female actors, make-up artists and production staff, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity, and allegedly occurred during the making of 11 films released between 2004 and 2022. Mediapart said “one actress has just given her account to the French justice system”, according to ‘Variety’.

None of these 13 women have taken legal action against 75-year-old Depardieu, according to a statement provided to ‘Variety’ by the Paris prosecutor’s office.

Depardieu’s legal representation Cabinet Temime has denied the accusations and released a lengthy statement saying the actor “doesn’t intend on addressing” the article “which appears to mix very diverse topics, including some very subjective appreciations and/or moral judgments”.

He “formally denies all of the accusations that could be subject to criminal law”, the statement continued.

One of the accounts was given by a former extra who worked on a film called “The Box” in 2015. She said Depardieu “put his hand under (her) dress” and “tried to get into (her) knickers.” After she pushed him, he allegedly became “aggressive” and “tried to push my knickers to one side to finger (her)”, ‘Variety’ reports, quoting ‘Mediapart’.

The news website quoted “a member of the production team” who said the shoot of “The Box” had to be paused because “an extra said she had been a victim of Gerard Depardieu.” The scene was eventually modified so that the extra was no longer standing alongside Depardieu, according to the anonymous production team member quoted by Mediapart.

An actor who worked on the film said she heard Depardieu “shouting that he could have who he wanted and that he didn’t want her, that she was a ‘fat pig’”.

— except for the headline, nothing else has been changed or edited in this IANS report