PARIS – A French investigating judge has ordered cinema legend Gérard Depardieu to stand trial on charges of raping and sexually assaulting actor Charlotte Arnould in 2018, according to sources close to the case and legal representatives confirmed Tuesday.
The 76-year-old actor, who has denied all allegations, faces charges of assault and rape by digital penetration stemming from two incidents allegedly occurring at his Paris residence in August 2018.
“Seven years later, seven years of horror and hell… I think I’m having trouble realising how huge this is. I’m relieved,” said Arnould, who filed the original complaint in 2018 when she was 22 years old.
The decision represents the latest legal setback for Depardieu, who received an 18-month suspended sentence in May following his conviction for sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021. The mounting allegations have severely damaged the reputation of France’s most prominent cinema figure over the past half-century.
Arnould’s lawyer, Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, confirmed the trial order and expressed confidence in their case. “My client and I are relieved and confident. This is a form of judicial truth for Charlotte while she awaits the criminal trial,” she stated. No trial date has been set.
The case initially faced dismissal due to insufficient evidence, but Arnould’s civil complaint led to a judicial investigation opening in summer 2020. Arnould has stated she was anorexic and weighed 37 kilograms at the time of the alleged assaults.
Depardieu maintains his innocence, writing in a 2023 letter to French daily Le Figaro: “Never, ever, have I abused a woman. There was never any coercion, violence, or protest between us.”
#MeToo movement impact
The veteran actor, who has appeared in more than 200 films and television series, has become the highest-profile figure in France’s #MeToo reckoning. More than a dozen women have accused him of abuse.
His May conviction involved incidents during the 2021 filming of “Les Volets Verts” (“The Green Shutters”), where a 54-year-old set dresser and 34-year-old assistant director accused him of sexual assault. The court also ordered him to register as a sex offender, though Depardieu has appealed the ruling.
Legal representatives for Depardieu did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
