The sexual abuse trial against Gerard Depardieu begins in Paris

Gerard Depardieu will go on trial in Paris on Monday, with the French actor facing two charges of sexual assault in the country’s most prominent #MeToo case.

Depardieu is accused of attacking the women during the filming of the 2021 film Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters).

Prosecutors say the actor made explicit sexual comments to two members of the film’s production team and then aggressively “groped” them. If convicted, he could face five years in prison.

The 75-year-old denies the allegations and says in an open letter published last year that he has never “abused a woman”. His lawyer asked for a postponement of the trial early on Monday, citing the actor’s health problems.

“Gerard Depardieu is extremely affected and unfortunately his doctors have banned him from attending the hearing. He will therefore request a postponement to a later date so that he can attend,” Jeremy Assous told local media.

The trial marks an important moment for France’s #MeToo movement, with Depardieu becoming the most prominent figure in French cinema to be accused of sexual assault. The women – who are not named – say Depardieu made sexual comments to them. They say he also ‘forcibly grabbed’ and ‘groped’ them.

Depardieu’s lawyer has accused the women of “false accusations”. He also claimed that one of the women tried to “make money” by demanding 30,000 euros in compensation, Le Monde reported.

Since the allegations came to light, Depardieu has become a virtual pariah. He has not appeared in a film since 2022 and next year he will be tried for a second time on charges of twice raping actress Charlotte Arnould at his Paris home. He denies the accusations.

Depardieu has also been accused of sexual assault by more than a dozen other women.

Despite the mounting accusations, the star has received strong messages of support from some members of the French artistic community. A group of more than 50 actors, directors and producers said in a letter published last year that the accusations against Depardieu were “an attack on art itself”.

Signed by actors Charlotte Rampling, Carole Bouquet, Pierre Richard and singers Carla Bruni and Jacques Dutronc, the letter said they “could not remain silent in the face of the lynching that fell on (Depardieu)”.

French President Emmanuel Macron also sparked anger after he described the actor last year as ‘the pride of France’. Macron added that Depardieu was being subjected to a “manhunt”. Campaigners said the comments undermined efforts to protect women from violence.

Actress Léa Seydoux called Macron’s comments “crazy” and added that it “gives a very bad image for France.”

Despite Macron’s show of support, his then culture minister, Rima Abdul-Malak, said she would consider revoking Depardieu’s Legion d’Honneur after footage emerged of him making sexual comments around women in a 2018 documentary filmed in North Korea.