The sexist and obscene comments by Gérard Depardieuwho has been denounced by two women for sexual assault and publicly accused by more than a dozen, today caused strong indignation in France when a video of the French actor was broadcast during a trip in 2018.
The images, which until now had not come to light, are part of an unreleased documentary made by the writer and director Yann Moix, who accompanied the actor during a visit to North Korea for the 70th anniversary of the communist regime.
“I have a beam in my pants” is just one of the comments heard from the actor, who, as a spectator in a riding arena, makes numerous obscene and sexualizing comments, including regarding girls, about women and the practice of horseback riding.
“J’ai une poutre dans le caleçon!”
🔴 #ComplementDenquete a récupéré des images jamais dévoilées de Gérard Depardieu lors d’un voyage en Corée du Nord en 2018.
L’acteur a multiplié les commentaires obscènes à l’encontre des femmes qu’il croise.
▶️ Ce soir at 11pm on France 2 pic.twitter.com/dtOrb2AHF3
— Complément d’enquête (@Cdenquete) December 7, 2023
These images have been uncovered by a journalistic investigation into Depardieu carried out by the program ‘Complément d’Enquête’, on the public channel France2.
“Vomitive” and “monstrous” are some of the names used to describe Depardie’s behavior on French television talk shows, such as those on the private channel BFM, while the newspaper Le Monde today talks about “the fall of the ogre of French cinema.”
“Unclean. To vomit. From verbal abuse to pedocriminality, passing through toxic masculinity‘Complément d’Enquête’ shows Depardieu’s true nature: a pig“, said French MEP Manon Aubry, co-president of the Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left, on the social network
Two complaints from actresses and numerous accusations
This Thursday, the public channel France Info had anticipated some of the details of the program about Depardieu on the eve of its broadcast, and had revealed that one of the actresses who gave her testimony about the actor’s abusive behavior during filming had filed a complaint against him last September.
Is Hélène Darras and the reported events date back to the filming of the film ‘Disco’ (2008), by Fabien Onteniente, and in which she obtained a small supporting role.
According to the testimony of this actress, Depardieu, who smelled of alcohol during filming and looked at her “as if she were a piece of meat”, grabbed her by the waist to bring her closer and touched her hips and buttocks.
He also proposed going to his dressing room with him, which the actress refused, but that supposedly did not stop the actor from continuing to touch him between takes.
His complaint joins another from 2018, for which the actor was charged in 2020, filed by the actress as well. Charlotte Arnould for rape.
Furthermore, throughout 2023, around fifteen women shared testimonies with French media, such as Mediapart or France Info, also accusing Depardieu of sexist and sexual behavior in the work context, although no more had come forward. complaints.
Faced with these accusations, the lawyers of the protagonist of films such as “Cyrano de Bergerac” (1990), who was one of the best-known faces of French cinema for years around the world, denied “any criminal conduct.”
Along with recriminations of inappropriate sexual behavior, this actor from the saga “Asterix and Obélix” (1999-2012), who is currently 74 years old, also made headlines in recent years for his controversial political positions.
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In 2013 he adopted Russian nationality in protest against tax policy. of the then president of France, the socialist François Hollande, and regularly praised Vladimir Putin’s Russia as “a great democracy.” However, he has spoken out against the invasion of Ukraine.
His latest released works date back to 2022, such as the film ‘Umami’.