Paris – French film star Gérard Depardieu has been summoned to court in Paris on charges of rape and sexual assault against actress Charlotte Arnould.
“I feel relieved,” Arnould wrote on Instagram Tuesday after receiving the indictment order from the investigating judge. “The order restores the truth of the trial. I think it’s hard for me to comprehend how huge this is.”
Arnould’s lawyer, Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, was not immediately available for comment. She told Franceinfo Media that she was “extremely satisfied” and described the decision as “a moment of truth for the court in this case.”
The case dates back to 2018, when prosecutors in Paris opened an initial investigation after Arn accused Depardieu of raping her at his home.
“Acts of rape and sexual assault have been acknowledged,” Arnold said. “Now we await the next steps.”
Prosecutors filed a motion last year to have the case proceed to trial.
Depardieu was convicted earlier this year of sexually assaulting two women on a film set and received an 18-month suspended prison sentence in a case widely seen as a test of the country’s post-MeToo film industry.
Depardieu, 76, one of the most prominent figures in French cinema for decades, was convicted of raping a 54-year-old woman in charge of setting up the set and a 34-year-old assistant during the filming of “Les Volets Verts” (“The Green Shutters”) in 2021. The court ordered his name to be listed on the national sex offenders database.
Depardieu’s long and storied career, which he claims includes more than 250 films, has made him a giant of French cinema. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1991 for his performance as the swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac.
The actor has been accused publicly or formally of misconduct by more than 20 women in recent years, but so far only the sexual assault case has gone to trial. Other cases have been dismissed due to lack of evidence or the statute of limitations having expired.
