French Cultural Figures Defend Accused Actor Gérard Depardieu: “N’Effacez Pas Gérard Depardieu”

EPAGerard Depardieu in 2023 at a premiere

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 12:25

A group of 60 prominent figures from the cultural sector published it in the French newspaper Le Figaro recorded for actor Gérard Depardieu. They speak of a “lynching” and are referring to the accusations of rape and sexual assault. The actor himself has always denied the allegations.

Among the prominent figures are well-known ones French actors, directors and musicians, among them Downtown Abbeyactress Nathalie Baye and singer Carla Bruni, wife of former president Nicolas Sarkozy. Other well-known names are director and actor Pierre Richard and the Belgian-French actor Benoît Poelvoorde.

“Gérard Depardieu is probably the greatest of all actors,” reads the article in Le Figaro. “We can no longer remain silent about the lynching he faces and the outpouring of hatred without nuance.” The newspaper states that the group would also have stood up for him if he were not that “giant of the French film world” Has been.

Ongoing investigation

The 74-year-old Depardieu is a figurehead of French cinema. He appeared in more than 170 films and had the role of Obelix in the Asterix and Obelix film adaptations. Female colleagues have been accusing him of rape and sexual assault for years.

In 2018, a young actress accused him of rape at his home in Paris. That case came to a dead end due to a lack of evidence, but the judiciary has been re-investigating the allegations since 2020.

Last October, Depardieu wrote in a letter to the editor Le Figaro that he has never abused a woman.

At the beginning of December, he was again discredited by a documentary by the public broadcaster France 2. Images from 2018 were shared in which Depardieu made comments about women and their genitals.

Attack on art

Yet the actors and directors in Le Figaro are now calling on the authorities to allow him to act again. “When people attack Gérard Depardieu in this way, they are attacking art. Whatever happens, no one will ever be able to erase the mark that his work has left on our era.”

Last Wednesday, French President Macron stood up for the actor. He said Depardieu is the victim of a manhunt.

2023-12-26 11:25:00


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