French court convicts actor Gerard Depardieu of sexual assault

(Reuters): Paris court on Tuesday handed French cinema icon Gerard Depardieu an 18-month suspended sentence after convicting him of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021.

The court also ordered that Depardieu, 76, who was not present for the verdict, register as a sex offender, marking a spectacular fall from grace for the man who has dominated French cinema for half a century.

His lawyer said Depardieu would appeal.

Depardieu, who has acted in more than 200 films and television series, is the highest-profile figure caught up in France’s response to the #MeToo movement.

By coincidence, the verdict was delivered on the first day of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, France’s most prestigious cinema showcase, where Depardieu won best actor in 1990 and was for years the subject of adulation.

Around 20 women have accused Depardieu of assault or inappropriate behaviour but this was the first case to come to court.

The trial related to charges of sexual assault during the filming in 2021 of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) by director Jean Becker.

The plaintiffs were a set dresser, 54, identified only as Amelie, and a 34-year-old assistant director, who accused the actor of sexual assault.

Of the two, Amelie was present to hear the judgement, saying she felt relieved after going through “an emotional rollercoaster”.

The whereabouts of Depardieu were not immediately clear. He had in April been working in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores on a new film directed by his friend, actor Fanny Ardant, who has been outspoken in supporting him.

‘Lack of remorse’

The sentence delivered by the court was fully in line with the recommendation of prosecutor Laurent Guy who argued an 18-month suspended jail term “takes into account the total lack of remorse” shown by the defendant.

Amelie testified that Depardieu pinned her down in 2021 on set, saying, “he was very strong” and “groped” her.

She also said Depardieu made “obscene remarks” and suggestions, boasting he could “give women an orgasm without touching them”.

The 34-year-old plaintiff said Depardieu initially assaulted her when she accompanied him from his dressing room to the set.

“It was nighttime… he put his hand on my buttocks,” she said, adding that the actor assaulted her on two other occasions.

Depardieu denied sexually assaulting the women.

“I’m vulgar, rude, foul-mouthed, I’ll accept that,” he told the court, but he added: “I don’t touch.”

“I adore women and femininity,” he also said, while describing the #MeToo movement as a “reign of terror”.

Throughout the trial, Depardieu was supported by his daughter Roxane, his ex-partner Karine Silla and actor Vincent Perez.

And on Monday, he won public backing from French film star Brigitte Bardot.

“Those who have talent and put their hands on a girl’s bottom are thrown in the gutter,” Bardot said.

“We could at least let them get on with their lives. They can’t live anymore.”

‘Sexism and misogyny’

While delivering the verdict, the presiding judge criticised the “excessive harshness” shown toward the plaintiffs by Depardieu’s defence team

During the trial, Jeremie Assous, the actor’s lawyer, called the two women “liars” and “hysterical”, arguing that they were working for the cause of “rabid feminism”.

“These remarks, by their very nature, amount to secondary victimisation,” the presiding judge said, ordering Depardieu to pay each woman $1,111.

“This recognition of the mistreatment in court means a lot to us,” said Carine Durrieu Diebolt, a lawyer for one of the plaintiffs.

“I hope it will serve as a deterrent to aggressors,” she added.

Nearly 200 French lawyers signed an open letter during the proceedings urging the judiciary to fight what they called courtroom sexism.

Depardieu’s lawyer had “used sexism and misogyny to his heart’s delight” to discredit the plaintiffs and their legal team, they said.

Depardieu has also been indicted in another case following a rape complaint filed by actor Charlotte Arnould, 29. Prosecutors have requested a trial.

Announcing his client’s appeal, Assous said: “The moment you’re accused of sexual assault, you’re automatically convicted.”

In April, French MPs criticised “endemic” abuse in the entertainment industry after a six-month inquiry.