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PARIS, December 26Fifty cultural figures, including French actor Pierre Richard, as well as French model and singer Carla Bruni, spoke in a joint letter in defense of French film star Gerard Depardieu, accused of sexual harassment.
They are calling for Depardieu to be allowed to continue playing. Also among the signatories are French actress Nathalie Baye, French director and screenwriter Nadine Trintignant, Belgian actor Benoit Pulvoord and British actress Charlotte Rampling.
“We are artists, writers and film producers. It is in this capacity that we stand here. We do not want to enter into controversy and let justice do its work. Gerard Depardieu is perhaps the greatest of actors. The last sacred monster of cinema. We can no longer to remain silent in the face of the lynching that has descended upon him, the torrent of hatred pouring down on his person, mercilessly, in the most complete confusion and despite the presumption of innocence, which he would enjoy like anyone else, if he were not the giant of cinema that he is, – says the appeal of the figures published in the Figaro newspaper.
According to them, when Depardieu is attacked, art is attacked. They noted that through his “acting genius” Depardieu contributes to the “artistic influence” of France. The figures also emphasized that he “contributes in the highest possible way to the history of art”, being part of this history and continuing to enrich it. For this, the signatories point out, France “owes him a lot,” and cinema and theater cannot do without his “unique personality.”
Earlier, French Culture Minister Rima Abdul-Malak said that Depardieu’s behavior disgraces the country. She later also said that she had discussed the situation with the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor and that the Council of the Order would begin a disciplinary procedure to discuss the possible deprivation of Depardieu of France's highest award.
In early December, a report was published by France 2 TV channel, in which actress Hélène Darras spoke about the sexual harassment she suffered from an actor on the set of the film “Disco” in 2007. The actress filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office, which is deciding what course of action to take since the statute of limitations for the crime has expired. In addition, the material shows Depardieu's derogatory remarks against women, which he said during filming in North Korea in 2018.
After this, the actor was subjected to a new wave of criticism from representatives of French cinema and the media.
An investigation is already underway against Depardieu on suspicion of harassing actress Charlotte Arnoux. In April, the online publication Mediapart published a material in which it collected testimonies from 13 women who claim to have experienced sexual assault by the actor. We are talking about episodes that took place on the set of 11 films and TV series from 2004 to 2022.
The actor, who celebrates his 75th birthday in December, has always denied any accusations against him.
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