Fresh sexual assault complaint made against Gérard Depardieu
Hélène Darras has made a new sexual assault allegation against the French actor Gérard Depardieu, alleging an incident took place on the set of the 2007 film Disco.
Actor Darras is set to share the full details of her claims on the French investigative news show Complément d’Enquête on December 7th. She had a small part in the film, and in an excerpt from her interview, Darras claims: “He looked at me as if I were a piece of meat” and “came up to me and then passed his hand over my hips and buttocks.”
After rejecting his alleged advances to visit his dressing room, Darras claimed her rebuttal “didn’t change anything” and says Depardieu “kept groping me between takes”. She also shared her fears about being “blacklisted”, adding: “I was an extra. I hadn’t even finished theatre school. I really wanted to be an actress.”
The new allegation from Darras follows Charlotte Arnould accusing him of rape in 2018. Depardieu denied the charges, but it’s currently in the legal process.
Furthermore, earlier this year, an investigation into his alleged misconduct between 2004 and 2002 by Mediapart was published. One extra on a film stated that Depardieu tried to “slip in to get to my knickers,” claiming the actor became aggressive when she pushed him away.
A second person described how the actor “grabbed” her by the waist and “ended up putting his hand on my bum in an insistent way”.
At the time, the legal team behind Depardieu, denied these allegations aimed against the actor, stating that their client “doesn’t intend on addressing” the matter. The statement released by the legal team adds that the article appears “to mix very diverse topics, including some very subjective appreciations and/or moral judgments,” explaining Depardieu “formally denies all of the accusations that could be subject to criminal law.”
Depardieu is yet to comment on the allegation from Darras.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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