French movie star Gérard Depardieu was found guilty Tuesday of sexually assaulting two women in 2021 on the set of a movie.
The 76-year-old actor has been found guilty of groping a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant during the production of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters).
During the four-day trial back in March, Gérard Depardieu pushed back hard against the allegations, claiming “he’s not like that.” While he admitted to dropping vulgar and sexually charged language on set, and copping to grabbing the set dresser’s hips during a heated moment, the French film icon insisted there was nothing sexual about his actions.
The actor was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence and also received a fine of more than $32,000 and must register in the national sex offender database.
According to his attorneys, Depardieu will appeal the verdict.
“It is the victory of two women, but it is the victory of all the women beyond this trial,” Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, the set dresser’s attorney, said in a statement. “Today, we hope to see the end of impunity for an artists in the world of cinema. I think that with this decision, we can no longer say that he is not a sexual abuser. And today, as the Cannes Film Festival opens, I’d like the film world to spare a thought for Gérard Depardieu’s victims.”
