PARIS (AP) — French actor Gérard Depardieu is expected to stand trial on Monday in Paris over accusations he sexually assaulted two women during the filming of a movie in 2021.
Depardieu, 76, is facing charges that he groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant director during production of the film “Les Volets Verts” (“The Green Shutters”). The actor denies any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors allege the incidents included obscene remarks and inappropriate touching, including an incident in which Depardieu allegedly used his legs to trap one of the women before groping her in front of other crew members. Both women have filed formal complaints.
The Associated Press does not name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to being identified, which neither has in this case.
The trial was initially scheduled for October but was postponed due to Depardieu’s health. A verdict is expected at a later date.
Depardieu’s lawyer, Jérémie Assous, said the actor has undergone a quadruple heart bypass and suffers from diabetes. A court-appointed medical expert determined he is fit to stand trial. He is expected to attend the two-day hearing, reportedly with scheduled breaks.
“From the beginning, he has always rejected all accusations,” Assous said on French radio RMC on Monday. Depardieu “considers that he ought to defend himself in court and explain himself to judges as a matter of priority. That’s what we’re going to do.”
The lawyer for one of the two plaintiffs, Carine Durrieu Diebolt, said on France Info radio her client “is calmly awaiting the outcome of the case … because the case is solid.” Durrieu Diebolt said four additional women who say they have been sexually assaulted by Depardieu will speak at the trial as witnesses.
This is the first time Depardieu, one of France’s most prominent film actors, has been tried over sexual assault allegations. He has previously been accused publicly or via formal complaints of misconduct by over 20 women, but no other case has proceeded to court. Some were dropped due to lack of evidence or the statute of limitations.
In a separate case, French actor Charlotte Arnould accused Depardieu of two rapes allegedly committed in August 2018. Depardieu was charged in 2020 with rape and sexual assault in that case, and in August 2024 prosecutors requested it go to trial, but a magistrate has yet to make the decision.
In an open letter published in Le Figaro in October 2023, Depardieu wrote: “Never, but never, have I abused a woman.”
