Gérard Depardieu to be tried for rape against another actress

French actor Gérard Depardieu will be put on trial in a Paris court for allegedly raping and sexually assaulting actress Charlotte Arnould, sources revealed on Tuesday (2).

The examining magistrate ruled that the artist should be tried for "two sexual assaults and rapes" that were allegedly committed at the actor's home in Paris on August 7 and 13, 2018, according to Arnould's lawyer, Carine Durrieu-Diebolt.

The actress, who filed a complaint against the actor in 2018, days after the events, said she was "relieved" by this form of "judicial truth" after "seven years of horror and hell." "I can't believe it, it's so big," she celebrated.

For his part, Depardieu has always maintained that the relationship with Arnould was consensual.

The court initially dismissed Arnould's complaint, but the actress managed to have the investigation reopened in mid-2020. On December 16, Depardieu was indicted.

However, a year later, the whistleblower had to reveal her identity on social media, after seeing that "nothing" was happening, and told her version of the story in Elle magazine.

According to her, in the summer of 2018, the then young dancer, facing anorexia, decided to change course and was selected for "Passion", a work directed by Fanny Ardant.

After receiving an invitation, she went to the actor's residence, described by her as a "family friend", a person in whom she had "absolute trust" and who was aware of her "illness".

"After 10 minutes," the man who "could have been [his] grandfather" put a hand in his underwear, he revealed.

Depardieu, however, denied the accusation and said there was never "coercion, violence, or protests": "A woman came to my house for the first time, with a light step, and went up to my room of her own free will. Now she says she was raped."

With a consolidated career, Depardieu is one of the most famous French actors in the world and has starred in major productions, including "Asterix & Obelix" and "My Holiday." However, he has been the target of several accusations of harassment against women in recent years, especially after the #MeToo movement gained momentum in the film industry.

Last May, the actor was sentenced to 18 months in prison for sexual assault crimes against two other women during the filming of a movie in 2021.