Actor Gérard Depardieu will stand trial in October for allegedly sexually assaulting two women while on the set a 2021 film, Paris prosecutors said Monday.
Prosecutors say Depardieu, 75, will face criminal charges after allegedly assaulting two women while on the set of “Les Volets Verts,” or “The Green Shutters,” that was released in 2022. The New York Times reported that prosecutor's office did not identify the women or provide details about the assault, and lawyers for the actor did not respond for comment.
The news that Depardieu will stand trial comes just hours after he was released from police custody after he was brought in for questioning.
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“The police custody is over. He is no longer held in the police station,” his lawyer, Christian Saint-Palais, told reporters outside the police station in Paris, according to the AP.
It also marks the latest legal hit against Depardieu, who has previously been accused by more than a dozen other women of sexual harassment and assault. He has repeatedly denied the allegations.
In 2020, Depardieu was indicted for rape and sexual assault in connection with allegations made by actress Charlotte Arnould, who first made a claim against him two years prior. That case remains open.
Depardieu’s lofty reputation as one of France’s most prolific—and most revered—film stars has come under scrutiny in recent years amid the flurry of allegations. Dozens of French artists have come to his defense, while French President Emmanuel Macron sparked controversy in December by saying Depardieu “makes France proud” and is being targeted by a “manhunt.”
In October, Depardieu wrote an open letter in which he denied all wrongdoing. “I have never, ever abused a woman,” he wrote. “Hurting a woman would be like kicking my own mother in the stomach.”
