With Depardieu Trial, France May See Its #MeToo Moment

French actor Gérard Depardieu went on trial Monday in Paris on charges of sexually assaulting two women on a movie set, in a case seen as a potential watershed for the #MeToo movement in France, per the AP. Depardieu, 76, is accused of having groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant director during filming in 2021 of Les Volets Verts or The Green Shutters. The actor denies any wrongdoing. Depardieu told the judges he was prepared to answer the court's questions. "We will be able to show in an impartial, objective and incontestable manner that all of the accusations are lies," his attorney, Jérémie Assous, told journalists massed outside the courtroom. "The truth will be obvious and the truth is on our side."

Prosecutors allege the assaults included obscene remarks and inappropriate touching. In one incident, Depardieu allegedly used his legs to trap one of the women before groping her in front of other crew members. Neither woman has consented to being identified publicly. The two-day trial was initially scheduled for October but was postponed because of Depardieu's health. Depardieu grasped his lawyer's shoulder as he strode calmly into the courtroom. The actor has undergone a quadruple heart bypass and has diabetes, according to his lawyer. A court-appointed medical expert determined that he's fit to stand trial. He is expected to attend the hearing, reportedly with scheduled breaks.

Carine Durrieu Diebolt, the lawyer for one of the two plaintiffs, said her client "is calmly awaiting the outcome of the case ... because the case is solid." She said four additional women who say they have been sexually assaulted by Depardieu will speak at the trial. Depardieu, one of France's most prominent film actors, has previously been accused of misconduct by more than 20 women, but no other case has proceeded to court. Some were dropped because of a lack of evidence or the statute of limitations. In a separate case, French actor Charlotte Arnould accused Depardieu of two rapes in August 2018. Depardieu was charged in 2020 with rape and sexual assault in that case, and in August prosecutors requested it go to trial. A magistrate has yet to make the decision. (More Gerard Depardieu stories.)