Gérard Depardieu Released After Sexual Assault Allegations

Accused of sexual violence and harassment, reported by two women, French actor Gérard Depardieu - placed this morning in custody for questioning - was released in the evening. This was learned from sources of the investigation. The accusations have come to a head for Gérard Depardieu, the world's most famous French actor, known for his exuberance and symbol of the sexual abuses that have caused a real revolt - the so-called #metoo - in the French cinema world. Denouncing Depardieu in this thread of the numerous sexual-themed accusations concerning him, are two women. The actor is to answer for sexual violence and harassment on the sets of two films: in 2014 while filming "Le Magicien et les Siamois" by Jean-Pierre Mocky, and in 2021, on the set of "Les Volets verts" by Jean Becker. The first to denounce him, a scenographer, speaks of events that happened in September 2021. Depardieu was participating in the filming of Becker's movie when, one day, while he was sitting in a corridor, he allegedly grabbed the woman with his legs, trapping her between his thighs. The alleged victim claims she was then groped on the abdomen, breasts, and buttocks. The actor also allegedly told her, 'I will plant my big umbrella in your sex.' The woman is a 53-year-old mother, who told investigators about a 'wolf trap' that she felt close on her, with a 'phenomenal strength' from him. So much so that it took the intervention of a third person to free her from Depardieu's legs that held her tight. The film's crew pushed the actor to apologize and, as gathered from the testimonies, he did so by stating 'I apologize because I have to apologize...' But later, he then insulted her throughout the duration of the filming, calling her 'whore'. Subsequently, the woman explained that she has not been able to work since then, suffering from panic attacks and post-traumatic stress. In a letter sent to Le Figaro last October, Gérard Depardieu provided his 'truth,' denying the accusations. The second to file a complaint told the regional newspaper Le Courrier de l'Ouest that, a few days before the shooting of the short film 'Le Magicien et les Siamois' in March 2014, all the technical staff and actors went to Depardieu's house, in the central rue du Cherche-midi in Paris, to prepare for the shooting. On that occasion, an assistant who was 24 years old at the time, claims to have been sexually harassed. Depardieu allegedly touched her bottom, addressing her with obscene phrases. At the beginning of the filming, the actor crossed her path again and repeated the physical harassment, then touched her private parts uttering explicit phrases. Finally, Gérard Depardieu is under investigation since 2020 for rape and sexual violence against the actress Charlotte Arnould. Actress Hélène Darras also reported Depardieu for sexual violence during the filming of a movie in 2007, but the crime has fallen into the statute of limitations. In Spain, Depardieu is the subject of a complaint from journalist and writer Ruth Baza, who accuses him of having raped her in 1995. 'Never ever - Depardieu wrote in the letter to Le Figaro - have I abused a woman.'