#MeToo France gripped by Depardieu trial's 'collision of old and new worlds'

When the actor Gérard Depardieu took the stand at his sexual assault trial in Paris this week, it was seen as a turning point for the #MeToo movement in France.

- Angelique Chrisafis

As a parliamentary commission examines why the French film industry has been slow – even resistant – to take seriously women's claims of abuse, Depardieu, the nation's biggest film star, faced accusations that he trapped a set decorator between his legs and sexually assaulted her while shooting the film Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) in 2021. He is also accused of touching the breasts and buttocks of an assistant director on the same film on three separate occasions. Depardieu, 76, has denied all the charges, telling the court he had been "dragged through the mud by calumny and lies".

The women's lawyers told the court he was an "all-powerful" star who deliberately targeted junior women who were in fear of being blacklisted if they spoke out. The court heard that there was a "system of impunity" around Depardieu, with industry insiders keeping silent to keep cashing in on his name.

"Everyone knew," said a 30-year-old actor, who was called as a witness. She said that during her first role, aged 20, in the Netflix series Marseille, Depardieu had suddenly put his hand inside her shorts and underwear, against her skin. She pushed him away and he did it again. When she protested, he said: "What? I thought you wanted to succeed in cinema."

Another witness, a journalist, told the court that on a TV set in 2007 Depardieu made crude comments about how she must want "men in leather" and suddenly began kneading her back "while grunting", moving his hands across her body towards her knickers. She said the male crew on set laughed.