Gérard Depardieu’s obscene remarks and his alleged sexual violence continue to make waves in France. “No, we are not proud of Gérard Depardieu,” declared former French President François Hollande on Thursday, in response to the comments of his successor Emmanuel Macron, who had defended the actor the day before.
Emmanuel Macron “spoke about Gérard Depardieu, his talent, the presumption of innocence,” François Hollande said at France Inter. I’m going to tell you about the 14 women attacked. I’m going to tell you about humiliated women. I’m going to tell you about the women who were upset by the images they saw. I’m going to talk to you about all these women who, through Gérard Depardieu, see what violence, domination, contempt can be. This is what was expected of the President of the Republic. It’s about talking about women and not simply saying that Gérard Depardieu was a great actor. »
“No,” he summarized, “we are not proud of Gérard Depardieu. »
On Wednesday, in a special broadcast on France 5, the President of the Republic was called upon to comment on the Gérard Depardieu affair, which has shaken France since the broadcast of a shocking documentary. For him, Gérard Depardieu is a “huge actor” who “makes France proud”. “One thing you’ll never see me in is manhunts. I hate it,” he said.
Emmanuel Macron also reacted to the proposal from the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, to dismiss Depardieu from his Legion of Honor. The actor’s lawyers said that the latter made her “available”. “Am I going to start withdrawing the Legion of Honor from artists or officials when they say things that shock me? Macron asked. The answer is no. »
At the beginning of December, Gérard Depardieu was at the center of a report by Further investigation, on France 2, where we see him making misogynistic and shocking remarks. In the process, the actress Hélène Darras, who testifies in the report, filed a complaint against the actor, although the facts that she accuses him of are prescribed under French law.
Earlier this week, Gérard Depardieu was the subject of a complaint for a rape which allegedly occurred in 1995. The alleged victim, Spanish journalist and writer Ruth Baza, was 23 years old at the time. In 2020, the French star was indicted, also for rape, following a plant by the actress Charlotte Arnould.
Gérard Depardieu denies all these allegations. On Sunday, the actor’s family denounced an “unprecedented cabal” and a “collective rage” against him.
Gérard Depardieu was removed last week from the National Order of Quebec, having been named a knight in 2002.