Depardieu on trial, and so is France
PARIS—Gérard Depardieu once seemed larger than France itself. With his hulking frame, crooked nose, and volcanic charisma, he reigned over cinema for half a century—a national icon as familiar as the baguette.
But this week, the actor who starred in more than 230 films—and who inspired writer John Updike to lament, “I think that I shall never view/a French film without Depardieu”—sat slumped on a special orthopedic stool in a Paris courtroom.
He faces two counts of sexual assault. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a €75,000 ($81,000) fine.
But more than Depardieu is on trial. For many in France, this case marks the country’s ultimate litmus test—a question not just of guilt or innocence, but of readiness.
Can a nation famed for its culture of seduction—and long criticized for shielding its male artists—finally hold one of them accountable?
Depardieu, 76, is accused of groping two women—a set dresser and an assistant—during the 2021 filming of “Les Volets Verts” (“The Green Shutters”).
