Gerard Depardieu requests that the sex assault trial be postponed

Gerard Depardieu’s sexual assault trial was scheduled to start in Paris on Monday, but he has requested a postponement. Citing the celebrity’s health concerns, his attorney requested the postponement.

In the most well-known #MeToo case to rock the nation, the French actor is accused of assaulting two women during the filming of the 2021 movie Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters).

According to the prosecution, he violently “groped” two members of the film’s production team after making graphic sexual statements to them. He might spend five years behind bars if found guilty.

The 75-year-old declared in an open letter last year that he has never “abused a woman” and refutes the accusations.

At approximately 13:30 local time, a criminal court in the French capital was scheduled to begin proceedings. Jeremie Assous, his attorney, told French media that the actor had been “deeply affected” by his sickness and that his doctors had urged him not to go to the trial.

According to Assous, his client requested the postponement because he “wishes to come, wants to express himself” in front of the court.

Depardieu is the most well-known person in French cinema to be accused of sexual assault, therefore the trial is a significant turning point for the #MeToo movement in France. The unnamed women claim that Depardieu made sexual remarks to them. Additionally, they claim that he “groped” and “violently grabbed” them.

The women have been charged with “false accusations” by Depardieu’s attorney. According to Le Monde, he also asserted that one of the women was trying to “make money” by demanding €30,000 ($32,500; £25,000) in compensation.

Since the accusations were made public, Depardieu has virtually disappeared. He has not been in a motion picture since 2022, and he will go on trial again next year for allegedly raping actress Charlotte Arnould twice at his Parisian residence. He refutes the accusations.

Over a dozen more women have also accused Depardieu of sexual abuse.

Some members of the French cultural world have sent the celebrity heartfelt words of support in spite of the growing accusations. Accusations against Depardieu were made public by a group of over fifty actors, directors, and producers.

The letter, which was signed by singers Carla Bruni and Jacques Dutronc, actors Charlotte Rampling, Carole Bouquet, and Pierre Richard, stated that they could not “remain silent in the face of the lynching that has fallen upon [Depardieu]”.

After calling the actor “the pride of France” last year, French President Emmanuel Macron also sparked outrage. The “manhunt” for Depardieu was another thing that Macron mentioned. The remarks, according to campaigners, weakened initiatives to shield women from assault.

Macron’s remarks, according to actress Léa Seydoux, are “crazy” and “give a very bad image for France.”

Despite Macron’s support, once video of Depardieu making inappropriate remarks about women surfaced in a 2018 documentary, his then-culture minister Rima Abdul-Malak stated she would consider removing Depardieu’s Legion d’Honneur.