Pallade Veneta - 'I adore women,' says French actor Depardieu at sexual assault trial

"I adore women and femininity, I feel very feminine myself," he said, sparking laughter in the Paris courtroom.

Depardieu, who has acted in more than 200 films and television series, has been accused of improper behaviour by around 20 women but this is the first case to come to trial.

The 76-year-old is the highest-profile figure to face accusations in French cinema's response to the #MeToo movement, which he told the court on Tuesday would become "a reign of terror".

The trial relates to charges of sexual assault during the filming in 2021 of "Les Volets Verts" ("The Green Shutters") by director Jean Becker.

Anouk Grinberg, a prominent actor who appeared in the film, has backed the two plaintiffs -- a set dresser, 54, identified only as Amelie, and a 34-year-old assistant director who both allege sexual violence.

But Ardant, describing Depardieu as a "lifelong friend", said she had never seen him have a "shocking" gesture towards a woman.

"I know you can say no to Gerard," the 76-year-old added, pausing on her way out of the courtroom to kiss him.

On Wednesday afternoon, a director of photography, chief sound engineer, and head stagehand on "Les Volets Verts" said they had not seen Depardieu behave inappropriately.

- 'Grunting' -

But three witnesses for the prosecution told stories similar to those of the two plaintiffs.

Crying, a journalist called Marie said Depardieu had in 2007 kneaded her back "while grunting", descending towards her knickers.

Sarah B. said she was 20 when she appeared in the Netflix series "Marseille" with the actor.

"He put his hand in my knickers against my skin. I pushed him away, he did it again," she said.

A costume designer called Lucile said she gave up cinema "disgusted" after Depardieu assaulted her in 2014. She filed a legal complaint last year, but the statute of limitations had expired.

"He shoved me behind curtains, put his hand on my knickers, my tights, my sex, my breasts. He said he wanted to do all sorts of things with me, that others had said yes, and that others would say yes," she said.

The 34-year-old plaintiff, who was third assistant director during filming, said Wednesday that Depardieu groped her as she accompanied him from his room to set in the dark, and then on two more occasions.

"That night his team wasn't there. We left his room, it was nighttime. And at the end of the road, he put his hand on my bum, he placed it there calmly," she said.

She said he then twice touched her breasts and buttocks on two occasions, and she told him "no".

- 'Foul-mouthed' -

The actor said he was never alone on set, always accompanied by a dresser, makeup artist or bodyguard.

"I perhaps brushed past her in the corridor, but I didn't touch her. I didn't commit sexual assault, I think sexual assault is more serious than that," he said.

Her lawyer asked: "More serious than what?"

Depardieu replied: "More serious than a hand on a bum. That is, I didn't put a hand on a bum."

"I'm vulgar, rude, foul-mouthed, I'll accept that," he added, but "I don't touch."

Depardieu on Tuesday said he was not in the habit of "groping" women.

He said he had grabbed Amelie, the set dresser, by the hips but only "so I wouldn't slip".

Amelie said that the actor had behaved like a "wild animal".

The prosecution is expected to request a sentence on Thursday.

Depardieu became a star in France from the 1980s with roles in "The Last Metro", "Police" and "Cyrano de Bergerac", before Peter Weir's "Green Card" also made him a Hollywood celebrity.

He later acted in global productions including Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet" and Ang Lee's "Life of Pi".

French actor Charlotte Arnould was the first woman to file a criminal complaint against Depardieu in 2018, accusing him of rape. French prosecutors have requested another trial over that case.

A.Fallone--PV