Gérard Depardieu can still count on a few cinema figures. If many decided to let go of him, or even to lynch him, Nicolas Seydoux, luminary of the world of cinema, spoke this Friday February 23, 2024 at the microphone of BFMTV. The 84-year-old man, who chairs the supervisory board of Gaumont cinemas, was keen to renew his trust and friendship in the actor who has been indicted for almost four years for numerous cases of rape, sexual assault, and of attempts. But Léa Seydoux’s great-uncle
is visibly convinced of his innocence, and does not believe the assertions uttered by the many women who accuse Gérard Depardieu.
In his memoirs Cinema, fifty years of passion, published by Gallimard, Nicolas Seydoux affirms that Gérard Depardieu remains one of the sacred monsters of cinema. A clear opinion that he says he “accepts” on BFM Business: “Gérard Depardieu is accused of rape. If he raped, he will be condemned, and he can only be condemned, it is a crime, and there is no excuse for it, whatever happens. Furthermore, Gérard Depardieu made comments that were, I would say, scandalous. But scandalous remarks are not in the realm of crime. It should not be confused” wanted to qualify the brother of Jérôme Seydoux and Michel Seydoux.
From Depardieu’s alleged actions to Bardot’s suicide attempt…
And to continue, more nuanced than ever: “I wouldn’t want people to say that cinema is different from the rest of society. Unfortunately, I condemn all these acts. But let people say: Everyone knew. No ! I don’t think Gérard Depardieu raped. On the other hand, it is established that he makes provocative remarks, but that does not make him a criminal. We must not mix subjects!” In the rest of his remarks, Nicolas Seydoux drew a parallel with former directors, now deceased, who, according to him, were even more divisive than current ones: “We would find many, starting with Alfred Hitchcock, not to mention him.”
Eclipsing the subject of Depardieu, Nicolas Seydoux then mentioned, awkwardly, the suicide attempt that Brigitte Bardot made on the set of a film: “Moreover, in cinema, you have hierarchical relationships, as you have them in most societies. I remind you that Brigitte Bardot attempted suicide in a film. I don’t think at all (that we) were into sexual aggression, (we) were mainly into intellectual and cultural aggression.” And to conclude: “Cinema is fiction. And fiction is not always happiness.”