Gerard Depardieu spoke out about rape allegations. It is explained in an open letter

Gerard Depardieu’s letter was published in the Sunday edition of “Le Figaro” on October 1. He refers to the rape accusations made against him by actress Charlotte Arnould in 2018. Although her name does not appear in the list, from the context it is easy to understand that the French actor is referring to her.

Gerard Depardieu speaks out. He assures that he is not a rapist

Recall that a woman accused him of rape and assault in Paris in August 2018. However, the investigation into this matter was initiated only in 2021. The actor’s lawyer told the French news agency AFP that his client “completely disputes” the allegations and said the investigation should not have been made public. The media also reported that at the beginning of this year, 13 other women decided to accuse the French star of sexual assault or harassment.

I can no longer accept what I have been hearing about myself in recent months. I thought I didn’t care, but I don’t. Not only does it affect me, but it also makes me fade away. I can no longer sing Barbara’s songs because the woman who wanted to sing them with me accused me of rape – with these words Depardieu began his letter.

The mentioned songs come from the musical show “Depardieu Chante Barbara”, in which the actor was to perform. Barbara is the stage name of the French singer Monique Andree Serf, who died in 1997. Later in the letter, the actor nominated for an Oscar for his role in the film “Cyrano de Bergerac” referred to the accusations.

“I finally want to tell you the truth. I have never molested a woman. Hurting a woman would be like kicking my mother in the stomach. First, the woman entered my bedroom of her own free will. Today she claims that she was raped. When she came to me for the second time, there was no no coercion, violence, protests. She wanted to sing Barbara’s songs with me. I refused, and she filed a lawsuit,” says the actor.

There are many more accusations. Depardieu, 74, says he ‘acted like a child’

The problem is that Charlotte Arnould is not the only person who has made accusations against Depardieu. According to a report by the online investigative newspaper “Mediapart”, 13 other women are currently accusing him of similar acts. These are not only actresses, but also make-up artists and other members of film crews who want to remain anonymous, which is why most of them did not go to court. The actor also commented on this.

I often did what others would not dare to do. I crossed boundaries, destroyed confidence and habits on set just to have a laugh. Not everyone was laughing. If I have hurt or shocked anyone, I beg for forgiveness. I behaved like a child, says Depardieu.

Interestingly, despite so many accusations, his career has not slowed down at all. According to data from IMDb, the world’s largest online database about films and people associated with them, Depardieu appeared in as many as seven film and television productions in 2022 alone.