Depardieu convicted of sexually assaulting two women

PARIS, FRANCE - A 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, who was not present for the verdict, register as a sex offender - marking a spectacular fall from grace for the 76-year-old who has dominated French cinema for half a century.

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.

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.

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, only Amelie was present to hear the judgement and she reported feeling relieved after going through "an emotional rollercoaster".

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

Claude Vincent, another lawyer for the plaintiffs, added: "Genius does not excuse sexual assault."

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

The whereabouts of the actor were not immediately clear.

The actor, who had complained that he had been out of work for three years, is to star in a film directed by his friend, actor Fanny Ardant.

The shooting of his scenes began in April in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.

The actor's lawyer Jeremie Assous said Depardieu would appeal.

"The moment you are implicated in a case of sexual assault, you are automatically convicted," he said.

'NOT A MONSTER' 

Depardieu, a towering figure in the French cinema, has often been described by French press as a "sacred monster."

Commenting on the verdict, actor Juliette Binoche, who presides over the Cannes film festival jury this year, said that the expression of "sacred monster" has always bothered her.

"He's not a monster, he's a man," she said, adding he had "lost his aura through actions that were reviewed by the judiciary."

The sentence was 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 on set in 2021, saying that "he was very strong".

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," she said. "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," while describing the #MeToo movement as a "reign of terror".

Depardieu has been supported by his daughter Roxane, his ex-partner Karine Silla and actor Vincent Perez.

On Monday, he won 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 told broadcaster BFMTV.

"We could at least let them get on with their lives. They can't live anymore."

'CHANGE JUDICIAL PRACTICES'

While delivering the verdict, the presiding judge criticised the "excessive harshness" shown toward the plaintiffs by Depardieu's defence team.

During the trial, the actor's lawyer Assous 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 1,000 euros ($1,111).

The court also ordered Depardieu to pay 4,000 euros to Amelie and 2,000 euros to the second woman in compensation for moral injury.

Women's rights group the Fondation des Femmes hailed the ruling.

"We hope this decision will help change judicial practices and finally reduce the impunity that has long surrounded sexual violence," said the group.

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

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