Why the Gerard Depardieu Allegations Are Sparking a Watershed Moment for France’s #MeToo Movement
11.01.2024 - 17:10
/ variety.com
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent A decade ago, Gerard Depardieu played a character inspired by Dominique Strauss-Kahn — the disgraced former head of the International Monetary Fund who was accused of assaulting a hotel maid — in Abel Ferrara’s “Welcome to New York.” In an ironic twist, the iconic French actor has now become the poster boy for the country’s #MeToo movement, having been charged with rape and faced with over a dozen sexual assault allegations. But the French remain divided over him due to his profile as a mascot of the country’s cinematic history.
He’s starred in over 150 films, including classics such as Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s “Cyrano de Bergerac,” François Truffaut’s “Le Dernier Metro” and Bertrand Blier’s “Going Places.” However, the tide is starting to shift — while French President Emmanuel Macron refused to revoke his Legion of Honor, the Paris wax museum went ahead and removed his statue on Dec. 18.
Indeed, Depardieu has triggered a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement in France in a way that cases involving directors Roman Polanski and Christophe Ruggia failed to accomplish. But why Depardieu, and why now? In 2020, Depardieu was indicted on rape charges in connection to a 2018 lawsuit filed by actor Charlotte Arnould.
But that was not enough to stall his career — he even presented a movie, “Robuste,” on the opening night of Cannes’ Critics Week in 2021. Then in April of last year, Depardieu was accused of sexual misconduct by 13 women in an investigative story that ran in Mediapart.
But the Depardieu scandal really began snowballing after the Dec. 7 broadcast of a bombshell documentary showing raw footage of the actor making sexually inappropriate and obscene jokes, including one about
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