Fanny Ardant Supports Gérard Depardieu At Sexual Assault Trial: “If I Did Not Defend My Friend, I Would Blame Myself For The Rest Of My Life”
deadline.comFrench star Fanny Ardant took to the stand at Gerard Depardieu’s ongoing sexual assault trial in Paris on Wednesday, to defend her long-time friend and sporadic co-star.
Ardant was speaking on the third day of Depardieu’s trial in the French capital on charges of sexual assault related to two separate accusations of incidents alleged to have happened on the set of Jean Becker’s The Green Shutters in 2021.
The trial – which follows at least 20 public allegations against Depardieu of recent and historic sexually inappropriate behavior – marks the first time any of the accusations have landed the actor in court.
Ardant, who co-starred opposite Depardieu in films such as The Women Next Door (1981) and Hello Goodbye (2008), is one of the few figures from the French film world to continue publicly showing solidarity with the actor. “I know that we are here to seek the truth, that the truth is the most difficult thing to define,” she told the court. “I am a friend of Gérard, I have known him all my life, so I can speak for him before this court.” “Every form of genius carries something extravagant, rebellious, dangerous, of embodying the monster and the saint… He is known from Cuba to Vladivostok.
Read more on deadline.com
