“Without prior notice, Gerard Depardieu He put his hand under my dress, I felt his fingers, ”an actress told the French outlet Mediapart, on condition of anonymity. The events that she describes occurred in December 2014 during the filming of the film “Big House”from the director Jean Emmanuel Godart, filmed in New York.
The alleged victim, at the time, was 24 years old and decided to complain to the production team. she confirmed it Isabella Butel, wardrobe assistant present at the recordings, who also spoke to Mediapart about the event. According to her testimony, the set’s reaction to the victim was “Oh, it’s Gérard, he’s a bit provocative.”
Until now, thirteen women have accused the French actor of committing acts of sexual violence, including touching, obscene phrases and insistent growling, during the filming of eleven films between 2004 and 2022. The testimonies, revealed on Tuesday by the French newspaper, describe a similar modus operandi of the actor and highlight the absence of reaction from the filming crews, who most of the time ignored the facts or minimized the behavior.
gerard depardieu He is one of the best known, controversial and acclaimed figures in French cinema. the actor of Danton and Cyrano de Bergerac, so far denies all the accusations made. The interpreter had already been charged with sexual assault in 2020, after the young actress’s complaint charlotte arnould .
The women who have given their testimonies, in some cases anonymously, to the French press are actresses, makeup artists, technicians and interns. All have described similar behaviors during filming: a hand between the legs, on the buttocks, on the chest, phrases of a sexual nature and insistent grunts a few centimeters from them.
According to the testimonies collected, these acts were committed in full view of all, without any will to hide. The statements also point to laughter or complacency from the production teams. However, nine of the 20 filmmakers and producers contacted by the outlet have not responded and the rest affirm that they have not been informed of inappropriate behavior during filming or that they do not remember or see this type of act.
Only one of them, the filmmaker of the movies “Disk” (2008) and “Turf” (2013), Fabien Ontinyenthas said that he had been alerted by a casting director that Depardieu “was annoying with the girls”, when two assistants went directly to him to complain, one of them crying.
The lawyers of the 74-year-old actor, a Russian national, have stated in a statement that your client formally denies all allegations. On the other hand, according to the newspaper El País, none of the thirteen alleged victims, who gave their testimony to the French newspaper, have filed a formal complaint before the courts.
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