When Gérard Depardieu walks into a courtroom in Paris on Monday, he won’t just be facing two women accusing him of sexual assault.
The French actor will also face a nation which has long been criticised for its response to sexual violence, particularly when committed by its most powerful figures.
Mr Depardieu is charged with assaulting a set dresser and an assistant director during the filming of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) in 2021.
More than 20 women have publicly accused the 76-year-old of sexual misconduct in the past, but this is the first time a case has gone to trial against him.
It is also the most prominent case in the post-#MeToo era in France. It will test whether a country famed for its culture of seduction is prepared to hold its cultural giants to account.
Prosecutors say Mr Depardieu trapped one of the women with his legs before groping her in front of witnesses.
In an interview with Mediapart, the 54-year-old set dresser said Mr Depardieu made lewd comments, grabbed her forcefully, and had to be pulled away by bodyguards.
A second woman, a 34-year-old assistant director, alleged she was groped both on set and in the street.
Mr Depardieu has denied all the allegations.
In an open letter published in Le Figaro in October 2023, he wrote: “Never, but never, have I abused a woman. To think that I have hurt someone or made them feel uncomfortable is intolerable to me.”
He added, “I have only ever been guilty of being too loving, too generous, or of having a temperament that is too strong.”
His lawyer, Jérémie Assous, called the case baseless. He said Mr Depardieu, who recently underwent a quadruple bypass and has diabetes, will attend the two-day trial, reportedly with breaks scheduled to accommodate his health condition.
France has often been ambivalent, even resistant, toward the #MeToo movement. While Hollywood saw powerful men fall swiftly and publicly, the French film industry was slower to respond.
Some dismissed #MeToo as an American export incompatible with French values, citing concerns over free expression and what they viewed as an erosion of flirtation culture.
