Gérard Depardieu, absent from his sexual assault trial, requests a postponement for health reasons

Actor Gérard Depardieu was due to appear on Monday 28 October before the 10th chamber of the Paris judicial court to answer charges of sexual assault brought by two women during the filming of Les Volets Verts in 2021. However, due to his state of health, the 75-year-old actor will not be attending and has asked for his trial to be postponed, as confirmed by his lawyer, Jérémie Assous, on France Info.

According to his lawyer, Depardieu is ‘extremely affected’ and his doctors have forbidden him to attend court. ‘He is requesting a postponement in order to be able to appear’, explained Mr Assous, pointing out that the actor had initially wanted to attend the hearing scheduled for 1.30pm. Someone close to Depardieu told H24 MEDIA that he was suffering ‘as much psychologically as physically’.

New accusations tarnish the actor’s reputation

The accusations came in particular from a 55-year-old film decorator, who filed a complaint in February 2024, describing a number of inappropriate behaviours on the part of the actor, who allegedly made inappropriate gestures and comments towards her in September 2021 in a Paris mansion. She alleges that the actor grabbed her roughly as she was leaving the set, using obscene language and non-consensual gestures. This testimony, published in part by Mediapart. She alleges that the actor grabbed her roughly as she was leaving the set, using obscene language and non-consensual gestures. The testimony, published in part by Mediapart, describes a scene in which Depardieu acted aggressively, leaving the complainant in a state of shock.

Gérard Depardieu, a major figure in French cinema with more than 200 films to his name, is also facing another case: last August, the Paris public prosecutor’s office recommended that he be referred to criminal court to stand trial for rape and sexual assault of Charlotte Arnould, a young actress who filed a complaint in 2018.

The actor, who firmly defends himself against all these accusations, had published an open letter in Le Figaro in October 2023 in which he declared: ‘Never, ever, have I abused a woman.’