French actor Gerard Depardieu, who is indicted on rape and sexual assault chargesin connection to a 2018 case, has published an open letter claiming he’s “neither a rapist, nor a predator.”
In the brief letter, published in Le Figaro newspaper on Oct. 1, Depardieu alluded to the allegations of rape and sexual assault tied to a 2018 lawsuit filed by Charlotte Arnould, whose parents are old friends of his.
Without naming Arnould, Depardieu says “a woman came to (his) home a first time, lightly, and willingly stepped into (his) bedroom. She says today that she was raped there.”
“She came a second time. There was no constraint, no violence, no protest. She wanted to sing with me the songs by Barbara at the Cirque d’Hiver. I said ‘no.’ She filed a complaint,” the letter continues.
The actor has been indicted since December 2020 but no custodial measures have been taken against him. That case alone didn’t prevent him from securing high profile film projects over the last five years. He also continued booking dates across France with his music show, “Depardieu Chante Barbara.”
However, his career took a severe hit after he was accused of sexual misconduct by 13 more women, including female actors, make-up artists and production staff who shared their testimonies – mostly on the basis of anonymity – in a bombshell investigative report published by Mediapart in April. His tour was cut short in the aftermath of that detailed article.
When questioned about the report, Depardieu’s legal representation at Cabinet Temime said the actor formally denied “all of the accusations that could be subject to criminal law.” None of the 13 women who spoke to Mediapart have taken legal action, according to a statement provided toPvNewby the Paris prosecutor’s office in April.
The incidents reported by Mediapart allegedly occurred during the filming of 11 films released between 2004 and 2022. One of the testimonies was given by a former extra who worked on a film called “The Box” in 2015 and said Depardieu “put his hand under (her) dress” and “tried to get into (her) knickers.” After she pushed him, he allegedly became “aggressive” and “tried to push my knickers to one side to finger (her).” Mediapart quoted “a member of the production team” who said the shoot of “The Box” was paused because “an extra said she had been a victim of Gérard Depardieu.” The scene was eventually modified so that the extra was no longer standing alongside Depardieu, according to the anonymous production team member. An actor who worked on the film said she heard Depardieu “shouting that he could have who he wanted and that he didn’t want her, that she was a ‘fat pig.’”
In the letter, Depardieu says he “can’t consent to what (he’s) hearing, and reading about (him) for the past few months.” “I believed that I didn’t care, but no, in fact no.”
“I’ve never ever abused a woman. Hurting a woman would be like kicking the womb of my own mother,” wrote Depardieu.
The actor made headlines last week after selling his collection of artwork at an auction in Paris which garnered €4 million ($4.2 million), according to French reports.
