Gerard Depardieu detained on sexual assault claims

Iconic French actor Gerard Depardieu has been arrested in Paris over new allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by two former film set colleagues, BFMTV news outlet reported on Monday.

According to the report, the 75-year-old movie star was called to a Paris police station for questioning early on Monday and then taken into custody. In addition to previous claims, the actor faces accusations of sexual assault in two more instances – one in 2014, and the other in 2021.

The first accuser, a 53-year-old film-set decorator, alleged that Depardieu touched her inappropriately during her work on the set of “The Green Shutters” by Jean Becker. After she complained to colleagues, she alleges that Depardieu repeatedly insulted her. The woman said she has been having anxiety attacks and suffering post-traumatic stress ever since.

The second woman, who was an on-set assistant during the filming of “The Magician and the Siamese” by Jean-Pierre Mocky in 2014, and aged 24 at the time of the alleged assault, claimed that Depardieu repeatedly approached her with explicit sexual proposals and “sexually” touched her.

Depardieu has reportedly denied all allegations against him.

The actor has faced more than a dozen other accusations in recent years from women who said he either harassed, groped, or sexually assaulted them.

The first complaint came from actress Charlotte Arnould, who claimed in 2018 that she had twice been raped at the actor’s mansion in Paris. Following her allegations, Depardieu was handed preliminary rape and sexual assault charges in 2020, and placed under judicial supervision, avoiding jail.

Another accusation came from actress Helene Darras, but was dismissed by prosecutors in Paris in January, who said it had passed the statute of limitations.

Depardieu has repeatedly denied any improper behavior. In an open letter in Le Figaro published in October last year, the actor said he has “never, ever abused a woman,” as “hurting a woman would be like kicking my own mother in the stomach.”

Amid the flood of allegations against Depardieu, over 50 French actors, writers, producers, and musicians in December last year signed an open letter calling for an end to the actor’s “public lynching” and saying that public condemnation violated the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’.

The signatories included actors Pierre Richard, Vincent Perez, Carole Bouquet, and singer Carla Bruni. French President Emmanuel Macron at the time also lent his support to Depardieu, stating he would not back the “manhunt” against him.