Footage of Gerard Depardieu ‘molesting’ an extra on film set is revealed by French TV
Footage has emerged of disgraced film star Gérard Depardieu allegedly sexually assaulting a young woman on a film set.
The previously unseen clip shows the 77-year-old repeatedly touching the private parts of a 22-year-old extra identified by her first name as Olivia.
It was shot on the set of Turf, a horse-racing comedy starring Depardieu, which came out in 2013.
Tracked down by the Paris investigative news outlet Mediapart, Olivia recalled: ‘He put his hand on my buttocks — both of them — for a long time.’
Then he ‘put his hand into my cleavage…touching my chest several times,’ before ‘starting again from behind.’
Olivia said she ‘tried by every means possible to remove’ his hand but ‘he would start again from behind.’
As the sexual assault continued, Olivia realised that ‘her panties were no longer enough to protect her,’ Mediapart reveals.
Such fondling was not part of the plot of the film starring Depardieu, who has been accused of sexual violence by 22 women since 2018.
Footage shows Gérard Depardieu allegedly sexually assaulting a young woman on a cinema film set
The previously unseen images show the 77-year-old repeatedly touching the private parts of a 22-year-old extra identified by her first name as Olivia
In the video,Depardieu appears to put his hand near the woman’s crotch
During this time, he has been charged with rape and convicted of assault against two women.
Unlike in Britain, it is legally permissible to report on allegations being made against a criminal suspect in France after they have been indicted.
The video released by Mediapart and Le Media appears to shatter Depardieu’s defence that he has never touched a woman without her consent.
The scene from Turf, directed by Fabien Onteniente, was filmed on November 2, 2011, at the Auteuil racecourse, on the outskirts of Paris, and involved 150 extras.
Multiple witnesses came forward to confirm Olivia’s account of what happened, but no action was taken at the time except for Mr Onteniente speaking to Depardieu ‘at the end of the day’.
Mr Onteniente, 68, told Mediapart that Olivia came to see him ‘in tears’, and so he decided to speak to Depardieu.
Mr Onteniente said: ‘I told him Don’t you ever do that again. It’s over – I don’t want to deal with any more of your bullshit — behave yourself.
‘Do you realise what you’re doing? The camera was at a low angle; what you’re doing is visible. Do you realise the image you’re projecting?’
Depardieu has been accused of sexual violence by 22 women
According to Mr Onteniente, the actor appeared ‘sheepish, acting like a child who’s done something wrong.’
Chez Wam and Pathé, the companies which produced Turf, declined to comment.
On Monday, Depardieu will be appealing against his conviction and suspended prison sentence for assaulting two women on another film set.
Depardieu, a giant of the cinema industry who made his name in movies such as Green Card and The Last Metro, was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence, fined the equivalent of £25,000, and placed on France’s sex offenders register for his behaviour on the set of The Green Shutters (Les Volets Verts), in 2021.
His two accusers were an assistant director identified only as Sarah, now 35, and Amélie, a 55-year-old set decorator. Both complained about being repeatedly assaulted by Depardieu on the set of his film.
Depardieu’s lawyer, Jeremy Assous, said his client was appealing against the verdict, while denying any wrongdoing. This means that the punishment is frozen until the new trial that starts in Paris next week.
Mr Assous blasted the verdict, blaming it on the MeToo movement, which campaigned against rich and famous sexual predators in positions of power.
Mr Assous said: ‘From the moment you are accused of sexual assault, you are automatically convicted.’
Depardieu is also set to stand trial at a later date for allegedly raping French actress Charlotte Arnould, 29.
Her decision to go public led to numerous other women reporting Depardieu for alleged crimes that could also end up in court.
Two years ago, French President Emmanuel Macron sparked fury by defending Mr Depardieu.
Mr Macron appeared on a TV chat show and said he detested the actor being subjected to ‘a manhunt’.