On the one hand, there are lots of who really feel the reckoning caused by the #metoo motion into the movie, TV and music industries has no place in a society like France.
Alternatively, there are the various victims of rape and sexual assault – and people who assist them.
Controversial movie star Gérard Depardieu was caught in the course of these two completely different forces.
Depardieu will face two girls who accuse him of sexual assault in a Paris courtroom tomorrow, and can confront a nation with a convention of ‘laissez faire’ in terms of intercourse crimes perpetrated by the wealthy and well-known.
Associated Press reported:
“Depardieu, 76, is accused of assaulting a set dresser and an assistant director through the 2021 filming of ‘Les Volets Verts’ (‘The Inexperienced Shutters’). Whereas greater than 20 girls have publicly accused him of sexual misconduct, that is the primary time a type of instances has gone to trial.”
This trial will take a look at if a rustic pleased with its ‘tradition of seduction’ will maintain a ‘cultural titan’ accountable.
“Prosecutors say Depardieu trapped one of many girls along with his legs earlier than groping her waist and breasts in entrance of witnesses. In an interview with investigative outlet Mediapart, the 54-year-old set dresser mentioned Depardieu shouted on set that he ‘couldn’t even get it up’ due to the warmth, then informed her: ‘Come and contact my large parasol. I’ll stick it in your (nether areas)’. She mentioned he then grabbed her forcefully and needed to be pulled away by bodyguards.”
An assistant director additionally alleged she was groped each on set and on the street.
The names of the plaintiffs’ haven’t been disclosed to guard alleged victims of sexual violence.
Depardieu has strenuously denied all allegations.
“In an open letter revealed in Le Figaro in Oct. 2023, he wrote: ‘By no means, however by no means, have I abused a girl. To assume that I’ve damage somebody or made them really feel uncomfortable is insupportable to me’. He added, ‘I’ve solely ever been responsible of being too loving, too beneficiant, or of getting a temperament that’s too robust’.”
The actor — who lately underwent a quadruple bypass and has diabetes — will attend the two-day trial, organized with breaks scheduled to accommodate his poor well being.
“Roman Polanski, convicted in america of illegal intercourse with a minor and accused by a number of different girls, continues to stay and work in France with near-total impunity. Regardless of worldwide outcry, he stays a adorned determine in French cinema. His 2020 César Award for Greatest Director — for ‘An Officer and a Spy’ — prompted a number of girls, together with actress Adèle Haenel, to stroll out of the ceremony in protest.”
Revered actress Anouk Grinberg, who appeared in ‘Les Volets Verts’, is supporting the plaintiffs.
She describes Depardieu’s habits as ‘vulgar and disturbing’, including that she felt ‘a way of disgrace’ on set.
“On the time of the alleged 2021 assaults, Depardieu was already beneath formal investigation for rape. In 2018, actor Charlotte Arnould accused him of raping her at his dwelling. That case remains to be energetic, and in August 2024, prosecutors requested it go to trial.”
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