Gérard Depardieu, the prolific French actor known for films such as The Last Metro and Cyrano De Bergerac, has been accused of sexual misconduct by 13 women from 2004 to 2022, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This comes after French actor Charlotte Arnould brought rape charges against Depardieu in 2018, a case that is currently making its way through the French court system.
The latest allegations of misconduct were revealed by the French investigative outlet Médiapart, which found a pattern of behavior towards young women on film sets that includes nonconsensual touching and groping, sexual comments, and “persistent groaning noises” (per THR). This behavior was reportedly ignored or tolerated by other crew members who were sometimes said to laugh off his actions, saying, “Oh, it’s okay, it’s [just] Gérard!”
Of 20 directors contacted for the Médiapart story, only 11 responded, with 10 saying they had no knowledge of any misconduct. Fabien Onteniente, who directed Depardieu twice, told the outlet he was first made aware of the actor “getting heavy with the girls” on the set of 2008's Disco, and then confronted him on the set of 2013's Turf. “I told him: ‘Don’t start that again, it’s over! Behave yourself,’” Onteniente explained to Médiapart.
The Médiapart report outlines Depardieu’s recurring predation on young women at the start of their careers, who often felt afraid to come forward with their allegations for fear of backlash in the industry. Arnould, whose father was reportedly a friend of Depardieu’s, came forward in the wake of the #MeToo movement. She alleged that Depardieu raped and sexually assaulted her twice in his Paris mansion when she went to him for acting advice, according to THR. Depardieu’s attempt to have the charges overturned was overruled.
The new allegations are “very subjective assessments and/or moral judgments,” Depardieu’s lawyers said in a statement (via Deadline). “He formally denies all the charges likely to fall under criminal law.”
This is not the first time Depardieu has been at the center of a sexual misconduct controversy. In a 1978 interview, he was quoted as saying he first participated in a rape at age nine, explaining that “it was absolutely normal in those circumstances. That was part of my childhood” (per The Washington Post). He was reported to have said he’d perpetrated “too many [rapes] too [sic] count . . . . There was nothing wrong with it. The girls wanted to be raped. I mean, there’s no such thing as rape. It’s only a matter of a girl putting herself in a situation where she wants to be.”
These quotes resurfaced in 1991 as he garnered acclaim for his performance in Cyrano De Bergerac. An American publicist speaking on his behalf responded that “he’s sorry, but it happened.” This statement was shortly disavowed by Depardieu’s French team and the actor apparently denied having made the comments in the first place. “Of course, one can say I had sexual experiences at a very young age, but never rape. ... I am profoundly wounded by what has happened,” he said in a statement (per The Post). “I have always been treated honestly and justly by the American press. … I have a wife and children. I am not going to let myself be treated as a rapist.”
If you or someone you know is suffering from sexual abuse, contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.