Accuser recounts 'shock' of actor Depardieu groping her on movie set

A woman accusing French actor Gerard Depardieu of sexual assault told a landmark trial in Paris that he groped her buttocks and her breasts several times on a film set.

Depardieu, 76, is accused of groping a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant during filming in 2021 of "Les Volets Verts" ("The Green Shutters"). He denies any sexual assault.

The third day of the trial on Wednesday focused on the testimony of the younger plaintiff, who detailed three separate incidents. She said Depardieu first groped her bottom when she was alone with him for a brief moment as they were heading towards the film set.

"Out of the blue, he put his hand on my butt," she said, adding she said nothing because she was "under shock" and "petrified."

In a second incident, she said Depardieu suddenly put both his hands on her breasts: "I said 'No.' I was scared."

She also described telling Depardieu "no" during a third similar incident.

The plaintiff said she reported the issue to her direct manager, who then alerted others in charge of the film production, prompting anger from the actor.

She said she then "minimized" the issue because she wanted to continue to do her job.

She later decided to file a formal complaint because, she said, "I want people to hear the truth."

Depardieu repeatedly denied the allegations in court, saying: "I'm not like that. I think that maybe, I don't know, she was wary because of my reputation of being vulgar, crude, rude. But I'm not only that. I still respect people."

A witness says she attended an alleged assault

On Tuesday, Depardieu acknowledged that he had used vulgar and sexualized language with the set dresser who accused him of sexual assault. He said he grabbed her hips during an argument, but denied that his behavior was sexual.

A film worker said on Wednesday she attended that scene, describing the set dresser as "stuck in-between the legs" of Depardieu. She continued: "My brain bugged. I thought: it's not possible that I'm actually seeing this."

She said she realized she attended "an aggression" and reported it to the film management.

The trial is the first time one of the more than 20 accusations of misconduct against Depardieu has reached court. The actor faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Associated Press