Famous French actor Gérard Depardieu defended himself against rape and sexual assault allegations in an open letter published Sunday in the French newspaper Le Figaro.
Depardieu, who is being sued by an actress named Charlotte Arnould, wrote in the letter that he is “neither a rapist, nor a predator,” according to an English translation from Variety.
Prosecutors continue to investigate Arnould’s initial claims against the actor from 2018, Variety reported. Although he was indicted in 2020, Depardieu was not taken into custody and continued to do his live show “Depardieu Chante Barbara,” or “Depardieu Sings Barbara.” (RELATED: REPORT: Nick Carter Denies Sexual Assault Allegations)
Gerard Depardieu denies rape allegations in open letter https://t.co/R0V8i4Y6qI
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) October 2, 2023
Depardieu did not specifically name Arnould in his letter. “A woman came to my home a first time, lightly, and willingly stepped into my bedroom. She says today that she was raped there,” he wrote, according to Variety.
“She came a second time,” the actor continued. “There was no constraint, no violence, no protest. She wanted to sing with me the songs by Barbara at the Cirque d’Hiver. I said ‘no.’ She filed a complaint.”
Depardieu’s tour was cut short after an April 2023 investigative report in the French outlet Mediapart revealed 13 more women had come forward and accused him of “inappropriate words or gestures.” None of the 13 women interviewed for the Mediapart report have pursued legal action against the actor, Variety reported, citing an April statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office. The France Inter radio station revealed two new allegations in summer 2023, according to Deadline.
In his open letter, Depardieu said he “can no longer consent to what I’m hearing, what I’m reading about myself for the past few months.”
“I’ve never ever abused a woman. Hurting a woman would be like kicking the womb of my own mother,” he added, according to Variety.
“Mr. Depardieu says he is exposing his truth, but it is certainly not Charlotte’s truth and it will certainly not be the one that will be upheld by the courts,” Arnould’s lawyer, Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, told a French radio station Monday morning, Deadline reported.
The attorney added she is “shocked and scandalized” by Depardieu’s letter.