Gérard Depardieu arrested on sexual assault charges

Famed French actor Gérard Depardieu was arrested on Monday by the police on charges of sexual assault, as reported by television channel TF1.

Unofficial sources from the TF1 website indicate that Depardieu was taken into custody on Monday morning and was expected to report to a police station in the 14th district of Paris.

Investigators planned to question the actor in connection with the statements of two women who have accused him of sexual assault. According to TF1, this is part of an ongoing investigation of two prior complaints about films featuring the 75-year-old actor.

One woman complained to him, citing sexual harassment on the set of Jean Becker's 2021 film Les Volets Verts. Another woman made another harassment accusation, alleging it occurred in March 2014 during the shooting of The Wizard and the Siamese in Doué-en-Anjou.

Currently, there are three separate legal proceedings against the French actor. Among them is a highly serious claim for rape and sexual assault alleged to have been perpetrated against the actress Charlotte Arnould. This particular investigation has been active since 2020.

Depardieu has consistently denied all allegations, maintaining that any intimate encounters were mutually consented to. On December 25th of the previous year, an open letter titled "Don't erase Gérard Depardieu" was published in "Le Figaro." It was endorsed by 56 personalities from the film industry, including Carla Bruni, Charlotte Rampling, and Emmanuelle Seigner.

Commentators have pointed out that the average age of the letter's signatories is 70, highlighting, "Gérard Depardieu is probably the greatest of all actors. When you attack Gérard Depardieu like this, it is art you are attacking." they argued.