Gérard Depardieu reportedly detained briefly by French police on sexual assault allegations
French police detained actor Gérard Depardieu for a brief time Monday for questioning over sexual assault allegations. The French actor was charged with rape and sexual assault in 2020.
French authorities reportedly detained Gérard Depardieu for a brief period of time Monday in connection to sexual assault allegations.
Broadcaster BFMTV and the daily Le Parisien reported that the 75-year-old actor was summoned Monday morning by Paris police and placed in custody.
The actor's lawyer, Christian Saint-Palais, later told reporters at the police station in the 14th district of Paris that: "The police custody is over. He is no longer held in the police station," but declined to make any further comment.
The Paris police force said it wasn’t authorized to comment and directed questions to the Paris prosecutor’s office, which said it had no comment "at this stage."
"We have no information to communicate or confirm before having assessed any eventual charges and directions," the office said in an emailed response to questions from The Associated Press.
Depardieu's detention Monday stemmed from allegations made by two women, multiple foreign outlets reported. Each woman accused the actor of groping them during filming, one in 2014 and the other in 2021.
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The 2014 alleged assault was reported to police in January, according to Le Parisien.
The other alleged assault involved a 53-year-old movie decorator who alleged that Depardieu grabbed her and kneaded her waist, stomach and breasts during filming for "Les Volets verts," or "The Green Shutters," according to the woman’s lawyer, Carine Durrieu Diebolt.
Her complaint was filed with the Paris prosecutor’s office in February.
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This isn't the first time Depardieu has faced accusations of sexual misconduct. More than a dozen women have claimed the "Greencard" actor was sexually inappropriate towards them during the start of the #MeToo movement.
Depardieu was charged with rape and sexual assault in 2020 in connection to encounters that took place at his home in 2018. The woman claimed Depardieu assaulted her during two separate incidents at his home after he led a master class at her school, BFMTV reported.
"Mr. Depardieu is and remains presumed innocent. He strongly contests the accusations against him," a lawyer for the French actor told Fox News Digital at the time. "The investigation must continue in calm, secrecy and respect for Mr. Depardieu’s presumption of innocence."
Depardieu was long seen as a national icon in France. He has been a global ambassador for French film and enjoyed international fame with several roles in Hollywood.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.