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| Gérard Depardieu Photo: Richard Mowe |
Star Gérard Depardieu was taken into police custody in Paris this morning to be questioned over allegations of sexual assault. The 75-year-old actor, who has previously admitted to a troubled youth in which he associated with criminals, faces accusations by two separate women concerning incidents alleged to have taken place on the sets of films he made in 2014 and 2021.
The first of the new claims relates to an alleged incident on the set of The Green Shutters, which the accuser says was broken up only by his own bodyguards, while the second concerns his alleged behaviour towards an assistant working on The Magician And The Siamese. The police have yet to issue any further comment.
Four years ago, the actor was charged with the rape of then 22-year-old actor Charlotte Arnould in 2018. The case has not been brought to trial. Another claim of rape made by actor Hélène Darras fell outside the statute of limitations. Several other women in the industry have made claims of sexual assault against him.
In an interview with Elle magazine last year, Anouk Grinberg, who worked with him on two occasions, said: "Anyone who has worked with Depardieu in the film industry knows that he assaults women, and the silence of this milieu is deafening, demeaning to our art, and must stop."
The actor continues to deny all allegations, stating in an open letter published last year: "Never, ever have I abused a woman," but admitting: "To the media court, to the lynching that has been reserved for me, I have only my word to defend myself."
