French icon Gérard Depardieu, who is awaiting a verdict in his sexual assault trial, is starring in a film directed by his friend, actor Fanny Ardant, a tale of love on a mysterious island, a producer said on Friday, May 2. Depardieu, 76, who has been accused of sexual assault or rape by around 20 women, is the highest-profile figure caught up in France's response to the #MeToo movement.
"It's a love story about two women who find themselves on a mysterious island," producer Ana Pinhão Moura told Agence France-Presse (AFP). She said that the shooting of the scenes involving Depardieu began in April, taking place in Sao Miguel, the largest island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, and was due to end next week. The island is known for its volcanic landscape peppered with geysers. Depardieu, who has acted in more than 200 films and television series, plays the part of "the island's magician, a mysterious figure who connects other characters," she added. The producer described the film as "a 100% Portuguese production."
Depardieu had previously complained, at court in March, that he had not worked for three years. "It's horrible what they're doing to me by refusing to give me contracts!" he said in court.
This month, the court will deliver the verdict in Depardieu's sexual assault trial, which has gripped France. The announcement will coincide with the first day of the Cannes Film Festival, on May 13. The actor's trial relates to charges of sexual assault during the filming in 2021 of Les Volets Verts ("The Green Shutters") by director Jean Becker. Prosecutors have requested an 18-month suspended jail sentence for Depardieu.
Ardant, 76, has testified in favour of Depardieu, describing him as a "lifelong friend" and saying she had never seen him have a "shocking" gesture towards a woman. "I am a woman myself, I have experienced things like that, I have slapped people," she said in court. "I know that you can say no to Gerard."
Depardieu has also been indicted in another case following a rape complaint filed by actress Charlotte Arnould, who is nearly 50 years his junior. He has denied the allegations in both cases.
In a career spanning almost 60 years, French actor Gérard Depardieu has earned an image as a bon vivant − and a heavy flirt − through his roles and interviews. Today, three police complaints are pending against him: one for rape and sexual assault, filed in 2018, one for sexual assault, filed in 2023, and one for rape, also filed in 2023.
In addition, more than a dozen women who worked with him between 2000 and 2022 reported predatory behavior during shoots, such as repeated sexual remarks, touching and insistent grunting. These accusations, revealed by French investigative website Mediapart in the spring of 2023, also demonstrate the complacency of part of the film industry towards Depardieu's behavior.
On December 6, the investigative TV show Complément d'enquête broadcast previously unseen excerpts from a documentary. In the footage, the actor is seen making lewd comments towards several women, including one young girl.
The footage was met with backlash. The actor was stripped of honors in Québec and Belgium, and a "disciplinary procedure" has begun to examine if he should be stripped of his Legion of Honor medal in France. Despite all this, certain celebrities and public figures have rallied in support of the actor, including French President Emmanuel Macron.
In this three-minute video, Le Monde looks at the various accusations made against Depardieu and the legal proceedings currently underway.