ARTICLE AD BOX
Juliette Binoche has said Gerard Depardieu is “not a monster” after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting two women on a film set.
Hidden star Binoche made the comment at the Cannes Film Festival on the same day Depardieu, 76, was convicted of groping a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant director during the filming of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) in 2021.
The actor was handed an 18-month suspended sentence in a Paris court on Tuesday (13 May), a term requested by the prosecution during the trial, and fined €29,040 (£24,420). The court also called for Depardieu to be registered in the national sex offender database.
One of the victims, who cannot be identified, said she was “very moved” by the decision. Depardieu did not attend the sentencing.
Depardieu is a giant in French cinema, having starred in more than 250 films. He received an Oscar nomination in 1991 for his performance as the swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac in the film of the same name.
He had repeatedly denied wrongdoing during the trial, but Judge Thierry Donard, in his concluding remarks, said the actor’s explanation of events had been unconvincing.
Despite the ruling, Binoche cautioned against labelling Depardieu “a monster”, stating at Cannes (via The Guardian): “He’s a man who lost his aura owing to facts that occurred and were looked at by a court.
“The star of a film is a king for me. [But] what is sacred is when you create, when you act, and he is no longer sacred. Now the power lies elsewhere.”
Binoche also addressed the fact that Depardieu and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein were once guests of honour at the festival, where she is this year’s jury president.
She said that the festival’s organisers “have a different awareness today”, adding: “They have an awareness of the actions they need to take and understand the need for people to speak out about the abuses they have suffered.
“It’s an important time. The #MeToo movement came [to France] later than it did to America, but it’s here now.”
Depardieu has received 20 accusations of misconduct, either publicly or through formal complaints, though none of these have gone to court. Some of the cases were dropped because of a lack of evidence or because they came to light after the statute of limitations had expired.
One of the two plaintiffs, the set decorator, had told the court the actor had groped her all over her body as he trapped her between his legs and made explicit sexual comments.
“He touched everything, including my breasts,” she told the court. “I was terrified, he was laughing.”
The trial has placed the global star at the centre of France’s broader reckoning over sexual violence and is seen as a potential watershed for the #MeToo movement in the country.
Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, representing one of the victims, hailed the decision as a victory not only for the two women, “but also for all the women behind this trial”.
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
English (US) ·