Post-MeToo France faces crucial test with Gérard Depardieu’s sexual assault trial

Gérard Depardieu, France’s most famous male actor, will face not just two women who accuse him of sexual assault but also a nation long criticised for ignoring abuse by powerful figures when his trial begins on Monday.

The 76-year-old actor is accused of assaulting a set dresser and an assistant director during the 2021 filming of Les Volets Verts (‘The Green Shutters’). While over 20 women have publicly accused Depardieu of sexual misconduct, this is the first case to make it to trial.

This landmark trial is seen as the most significant post-MeToo case in France, and it raises a key question: is the country, renowned for its culture of seduction, finally prepared to hold its cultural giants accountable?

Prosecutors say Depardieu trapped one of the women with his legs before groping her waist and breasts in front of witnesses. The 54-year-old set dresser described the actor’s behaviour in a 2021 interview with investigative outlet Mediapart, recalling how Depardieu shouted that he “couldn’t even get it up” due to the heat, before saying: “Come and touch my big parasol. I’ll stick it in your (nether regions).” She claimed he then grabbed her forcefully and had to be pulled away by bodyguards.

A second woman, a 34-year-old assistant director, alleged she was groped both on set and in the street. As is common in such cases, the plaintiffs’ identities have been kept confidential to protect the victims.

Depardieu has denied all accusations. In an open letter published in newspaper Le Figaro in October 2023, he firmly stated: “Never, but never, have I abused a woman. To think that I have hurt someone or made them feel uncomfortable is intolerable to me.” He added, “I have only ever been guilty of being too loving, too generous, or of having a temperament that is too strong.”

Depardieu’s lawyer, Jérémie Assous, has called the case baseless. He further noted that the actor, who recently underwent a quadruple bypass and suffers from diabetes, would attend the trial, with breaks scheduled to accommodate his health.

In France, a culture slow to confront abuse has made the trial all the more poignant. While Hollywood swiftly fell in the wake of #MeToo, the French film industry took a more reluctant approach. Some dismissed the movement as incompatible with French values, arguing it posed a threat to free expression and the nation’s flirtation culture.

Many argue that the fact of Roman Polanski, convicted of unlawful sex with a minor in the US and accused by several other women, being able to continue to live and work in France with little consequence is indicative of the country’s broader attitude. His 2020 César Award for Best Director sparked protests, including one from actress Adèle Haenel, who walked out in disgust.

But change may be afoot. In February, director Christophe Ruggia was convicted of sexually abusing Haenel when she was a child. Haenel, who had already quit the film industry in protest, is now a prominent voice in the battle against abuse.

Judith Godrèche, another outspoken figure, has accused directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon of sexually exploiting her as a teenager – allegations both men deny.

Even in the face of a changing culture, however, there remains resistance. In 2018, over 100 prominent French women, including actress Catherine Deneuve, signed an open letter in Le Monde defending what they called the “freedom to bother,” arguing that flirtation should not be equated with harassment.