During the high-profile trial, the set dresser testified that while she was on the phone tracking down parasols for the film, Depardieu said to her, “Come and touch my big parasol. I’ll stick it in your pussy.” She said he trapped her with his legs and groped her, and had to be pulled off of her, adding that her terror seemed to amuse him. The assistant director testified that Depardieu touched her breasts or buttocks on three separate occasions, despite her clearly saying “no” multiple times. She said the assaults left her “petrified,” and recalled that the actor “talked about sex all day on set, constantly talking of ‘pussy’ to everyone.”
Depardieu’s conviction is considered a landmark case for France’s #MeToo movement. A recent report from French politicians found that sexual violence, harassment, and bullying is “systemic, endemic and persistent” within the French entertainment industry, and that the issue is worsening amid a sense of “collective denial” from professionals in the field (per The Guardian). In 2023, dozens of prominent French entertainers (including Carla Bruni and Charlotte Rampling) signed a letter of support for Depardieu. In his recent trial, actor Fanny Ardant—who is currently directing Depardieu in a new film—testified on his behalf; New Wave icon Brigitte Bardot lamented this week that “People with talent who grab a girl’s bottom are thrown into the bottom of the ditch.”
On Tuesday, a lawyer for the set dresser said, “I hope this is the end of impunity for cinema artists. I’ve heard some actors recently still supporting Depardieu. Now with this verdict, no one can say Gérard Depardieu is not a sexual predator, and that’s very important. Today, on the first day of the Cannes film festival, I want the cinema world to think of the victims of Gérard Depardieu, and to speak of those victims.”
Beyond this case, Gérard Depardieu faces at least 20 separate public accusations of sexual misconduct, going back decades. He has denied the allegations of assault, and his lawyer stated that they plan to appeal the verdict. In the mean time, he may soon stand trial in regards to an accusation of raping actor Charlotte Arnould in 2018.
