French actress Judith Godreche has reported that the director Benoît Jacquot raped her in the 80swhen she was 15 years old and the alleged aggressor was 39. He denies the accusations and defends that the relationship was consensual.

The complaint, as published this Wednesday by the French newspaper ‘Le Monde’ and revealed by the actress herself on her social networks, was presented on Tuesday by her lawyer to the Police minor protection brigade. For her, it is a way to break the silence regarding Jacquot’s actions, since the events will have expired. With the latest legal reform of 2021, in France sexual abuse against a minor can be prosecuted up to 30 years after reaching the age of majority if the victim reports it.

Godrèche, who is currently 51 years old, assures that the testimonies of rape and abuse suffered by other actresseseven some confessions from Jacquot himself, heir to the ‘nouvelle vague’, have led him to sue the director of films such as ‘Les mendiants’ or ‘Sade’.

The relationship between the two was born during the filming of ‘Les mendiants’ (released in 1988), which was the actress’ debut in a feature film. Her existence was already publicly known: in some interview the director had even boasted about it and admitted that it may not have been legalgiven the age difference between the two.

However, Godrèche now wanted to emphasize that it was a relationship marked by the authority that the adultin addition to being a film director, had the youngest, who for her part wanted to make a career in the seventh art, and who was also burdened with abuse and violence. The actress also charges against the entire film world that she knew of the director’s practices, which according to her he repeated with other minors, and that nothing was done to prevent it.

“everything was known. And they are at the helm” of current cinema, denounces the interpreter, who has worked with directors such as Olivier Assayas, Édouardo Molinaro, Cédric Klapisch and François Ozon.

Godrèche narrates how little by little the director imposed his influence: “It was like the story of children who are kidnapped and who grow up without seeing the world and who do not come to think badly of their kidnappers. I would have liked Benoît to agree to be my friend, that he didn’t want my body. Very soon it disgusted me,” he says. The actress says that, over time, the violence increased: “The last year became absolute hell. He was violent, he hit me“, account.

In statements to ‘Le Monde’, Jacquot, who is now 77 years old, assured that he is not worried “about this story” and He has assured that the relationship between the two was “of love”. “She had a decisive, extremely favorable role, which clarified my life. I was suffering, I didn’t want to make more films and she pulled me out of the hole,” stated the director, who went so far as to say that “it was she who [le] dominated for six years” and that “if he hadn’t left, they would still be together.

Jacquot has defended that the first sexual relationship was when she was 15 years old, which was then considered the minimum age for a sexual relationship not to be a crime. Also that at no time did she feel “the slightest sign of disapproval” from the actress, whom she accuses of seeking “notoriety” to promote a series in which she stars.