Roman Polanski acquitted of libel against British actress

Charlotte Lewis said she was «sad and sad»; during the verdict Photo: Thomas Samson/AFP

Roman Polanski, the film director, was acquitted by a French court of defaming Charlotte Lewis, the British actress, after she accused him of raping her as a teenager.

Lewis, 56, alleged in 2010 that the French-Polish director raped her in 1983 in his Paris apartment when she was 16 after she arrived in the French capital for a casting. She then starred in his 1986 film Pirates.

She sued for libel after Polanski called her allegations a “vile lie” in an interview with Paris Match magazine in 2019.

Paris Match reported that Polanski also referred to a quote allegedly made by Lewis during an interview with the News of the World in 1999, in which she reportedly said: «I wanted to be his mistress… I probably wanted him more than he did me.”

But Lewis has disputed the accuracy of the quote.

Polanski fled California in 1978 after pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl before he was formally sentenced. Photo: Thomas Samson/AFP

Delphine Meillet, Polanski's lawyer, called the verdict «an important day for freedom of speech.» and for the rights of the defense,” adding: “Today the court said: yes, the charges can be challenged.”

However, speaking to the media, Lewis tearfully said she would appeal the verdict.

“I'm sad and disappointed. This is a sad day for women and men. But this is not the end. We will appeal,» she said.

Polanski's verdict came at the start of this year's Cannes Film Festival amid speculation about potentially explosive #MeToo allegations against a number of actors and directors.

Polanski, director of such classic films as Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby, Rosemary's Baby, Pianist and Carnage, fled California for Europe in 1978 after pleading guilty to having illicit sex with a 13-year-old girl, but before he was officially sentenced.

After the #MeToo movement gained global popularity in 2017 following sexual assault allegations against American film producer Harvey Weinstein, several women said Polanski sexually abused them as teenagers.

p>Polanski did this consistently. denied the allegations, which were never brought to trial, but he has since struggled to secure global distribution deals for his films, even as actors still line up to work with him.

In 2020 Polanski won Best Director for his film An Officer and a Spy at the Cesar Awards, prompting several women in the audience to walk out to protest the honor, despite allegations against him.