French actor Gérard Depardieu is facing new allegations of sexual misconduct from 13 women.
The women spoke with MediaPart, a French investigative news website which launched a months-long investigation into the actor.
According to the report, actresses, make-up artists and production staff all provided testimony accusing Depardieu of inappropriate words or gestures that occurred during shooting for 11 films that came out between 2004 and 2022. MediaPart notes that Depardieu denies any criminal behavior, a stance that was echoed to TheWrap upon inquiry.
“Mr. Depardieu formally denies all the charges likely to come under criminal law,” a representative for law firm Cabinet Temime et Associés said.
The investigation, which was launched after MediaPart repeatedly heard rumors of Depardieu’s on-set behavior, found that the actor’s behavior followed a common pattern of unwanted touching, groping, obscene sexual remarks and “persistent groaning noises.” In most cases, other crew members reportedly ignored or tolerated Depardieu’s behavior, often laughing it off.
The outlet contacted 20 producers and directors involved in the relevant productions but only 11 responded. All but one said they hadn’t seen or heard anything and that they hadn’t been made aware of the alleged incidents.
Fabien Onteniente, director of the 2008 film “Disco” and 2013 film “Turf,” said he had been warned by his casting director on the “Disco” set that Depardieu was “getting heavy with the girls.” He reportedly confronted Depardieu on the set of “Turf” after hearing similar allegations, telling MediaPart, “I told him: ‘Don’t start that again, it’s over! Behave yourself.’”
Depardieu, who has appeared in over 200 projects, is best known for roles in the 1990 drama “Cyrano de Bergerac,” 1998’s “The Man in the Iron Mask” and the 1990 rom-com “Green Card” — for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy.
The latest allegations come after the 74-year-old was charged with rape and sexual assault in connection to a 2018 incident involving actor Charlotte Arnould. The case, which Depardieu failed to overturn, is currently making its way through the French court system. Lawyers for Depardieu previously told AFP that he “completely rejects the accusations.”
