2023-12-26 11:30:54
About 60 French artists joined the defenders of the actor Gerard Depardieu, who was charged with rape by the judiciary in 2020. They denounced, in an article published on Monday, what they described as a “lynching” to which the star was subjected, who had become the focus of a widespread media uproar and political controversy. After a television station recently showed a documentary about him, which included comments of a sexual nature attributed to him.
Among the signatories of this article published by the newspaper “Le Figaro” are the director Bertrand Blier, the actresses Nathalie Baye, Carole Bouquet, and Charlotte Rampling, the actors Jacques Weber, Pierre Richard, and Gérard Darmon, and the singers Roberto Alagna, Carla Bruni, Ariel Dombal, and Jacques Dutron.
When they described in the article Gérard Depardieu as “perhaps the greatest of actors, and the last of cinema’s greats,” they stressed that they could no longer remain “silent in the face of the summary execution to which he is subjected, and the torrent of hatred that is pouring down upon him, which is characterized by extremism and confusion of matters, without regard to the evidence.” “The innocence that would have applied to him like anyone else, had he not been a giant of cinema.”
They considered that “attacking Gérard Depardieu in this way is tantamount to attacking art. Gérard Depardieu, with his genius as an actor, contributes to the artistic radiance of France,” and they added, “No matter what happens, no one will ever be able to erase the impact of his works that have marked our era forever. As for everything else. It is the matter of the judiciary alone.”
Macron and the Depardieu family
On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron defended Depardieu, denouncing what he considered “massive targeting” of the movie star in the wake of a shocking television report about the actor whom Macron expressed “great admiration for.”
The president opposed the move of French Culture Minister Rima Abdel Malik, who announced that a “disciplinary procedure” would be launched to make a decision regarding the Legion of Honor medal previously awarded to the French actor.
The French President expressed “great admiration for Depardieu,” describing him as a “great actor,” and added that Depardieu “contributed to the international fame of France and our great authors and prominent figures. France is proud of him.”
Members of the Depardieu family, including actress Julie Depardieu, also denounced an “unprecedented conspiracy” against the French film star, pointing to “suspicious” footage in a television report about him.
French actress Carole Bouquet noted in a television interview that “the media trial is continuing” against Depardieu, who was her life partner for about 10 years, considering that she was “killing a man.” She added, “I cannot bear that. I cannot have any tenderness for someone who turns out to be a monster.” But Gerard is not like that,” and she acknowledged that “Gerard can be rude, and his humor can sometimes be cruel, but he cannot hurt a woman.”
A report about the actor that was recently shown on the investigative program Complement d’enquete, on the public channel France 2, sparked a wave of shock and international condemnation.
Depardieu, who has been facing rape accusations since 2020, which he has consistently denied, expresses insulting expressions to women while addressing a number of them, and gives sexual insinuations even about a young girl riding a horse.
The France Television group, to which the channel belongs, confirmed on Friday that the judiciary had confirmed the authenticity of this part of the tape. This confirmation came after statements by Macron in which he hinted that he might have been modified by editing, as the actor’s family had previously confirmed.
As a result of the uproar, a wax statue of French actor Gérard Depardieu was removed from the Grévain Museum in Paris, and Depardieu was stripped of the Order of the National Order of Quebec and of the title of honorary citizen of the Belgian region of Estaimbouie.
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