French film star Gérard Depardieu will not attend his trial starting this week in Paris on sexual assault charges and has asked for a postponement, citing health problems.
Depardieu was due to appear in court for the trial, which begins on Monday in Paris. Two women accuse the Green Card AND Cirano de Bergerac actor of sexual assault linked to alleged events that occurred on the set of the film The green shutters in 2021.
Depardieu's lawyer, Jérémie Assous, said on Monday that his client had been advised by doctors against appearing at the hearing for health reasons. Assous noted that his client is “75 years old and has been a diabetic for 25 years,” adding that he had asked for the trial to be postponed.
“Gérard Depardieu is extremely upset and unfortunately his doctors prohibit him from attending the hearing, which is why he will ask for an adjournment to a later date in order to be able to be present,” Assous said in an interview with RTL France. He added that Depardieu wanted to “express himself” on the facts of the case. The French actor denies all charges against him.
“I expect justice to be equal for everyone and that Mr. Depardieu does not benefit from preferential treatment because he is an artist,” Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, lawyer for one of the women involved in the case, told Agence France-Presse.
THE Green shutters The case is the first of multiple sexual allegations against Depardieu to go to trial and the hearing is being closely watched as France's highest-profile #MeToo-style trial of a prominent entertainment figure.
French actress Charlotte Arnould also accused Depardieu of two acts of rape dating back to 2018, allegations that are currently working their way through the courts. Last year French investigative news site Médiapart published detailed allegations from 13 women accusing the actor of sexually inappropriate behavior. A television report on the investigative show Complément d'Enquête highlighted additional incidents dating back years.
Depardieu has always maintained his innocence and published an open letter about the conservative Le Figaro newspaper saying his behavior had been misinterpreted.