Gérard Depardieu.Photo: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty
Gérard Depardieuis publicly speaking out after being charged with rape and sexual assault in France for an incident that allegedly took place in 2018.
The 72-year-old French actor spoke to the Italian newspaperLa Repubblicaon Thursday, denying that he raped a young actress at his home, via theAFP.
“I am innocent and I have nothing to fear,” he said. “For me the investigation was closed, I am innocent and I have nothing to fear.”
Depardieu added, “There is no proof, there is nothing against me.”
“I can only refute in very clear terms all the accusations, as I have already done before to the investigators,” the actor said, adding he would appear in a French court on March 10.
TheGreen Cardstar was formally charged in December after a young unnamed actress, then 22,alleged Depardieu raped and assaulted herin his Paris home in August 2018, the AFP reports, citing a judicial source.
The case was closed in 2019 due to lack of evidence but reopened in the summer of 2020, according to the French outlet.
On Tuesday, Depardieu’s lawyer, Hervé Témime told the AFP that the actor “totally disputes the accusations.”
Andreas Rentz/Getty
The actor toldLa Repubblicahe was “very puzzled about the decision to reopen the investigation.”
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He added, “I hate it all.”
The charges against Depardieu initially surfaced in August 2018, with the woman claiming the incidents occurred on August 7 and 13. She made her complaint against the actor on August 27.
At the time, Témime denounced the allegations, saying, “Gérard Depardieu absolutely contests any aggression, any rape.”
The woman’s lawyer, Elodie Tuaillon-Hibon, told the AFP she hoped her client’s “private sphere will be respected” as the case unfolds.
Hewas nominatedfor an Academy Award for Best Actor for 1990’sCyrano de Bergerac.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
