Film assistant says actor groped her several times in three incidents while filming Les Volets Verts

A woman accusing Gérard Depardieu of sexual assault has told a landmark trial in Paris that the actor groped her buttocks and her breasts several times in three separate incidents on a film set.

Depardieu, 76, is accused of groping a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant during filming in 2021 of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters). He denies any sexual assault.

The third day of the Paris trial focused on the testimony of the younger plaintiff, who said Depardieu had first groped her bottom when she was alone with him for a brief moment between the backstage area and the film set.

“Out of the blue, he put his hand on my butt,” she told the court on Wednesday, adding she was in shock, “petrified” and said nothing.

In a second incident, she alleged, Depardieu had suddenly put both his hands on her breasts. “I said no; I was scared,” she said. She also said she had told Depardieu “no” during a third similar incident.

The plaintiff said she reported the issue to her direct manager, who then alerted others in charge of the film production, prompting anger from the actor.

Depardieu repeatedly denied the allegations on Wednesday in court, saying: “I’m not like that.”

“I think that maybe, I don’t know, she was wary because of my reputation of being vulgar, crude, rude,” Depardieu said. “But I’m not only that. I still respect people.”

The actor also told the court he was almost always accompanied by aides on the film set, including his bodyguard, and suggested that he would rarely find himself alone with a film worker.

On Tuesday, Depardieu acknowledged that he had used vulgar and sexualised language with the set dresser who has accused him of sexual assault. He said he grabbed her hips during an argument, but denied that his behaviour was sexual and that he only did so to stop himself slipping.

The four-day trial is to continue on Thursday, with the verdict expected at a later date.

The actor faces up to five years in prison and a fine of €75,000 (£63,000) if convicted.