PARIS — French actor Gérard Depardieu is expected to appear before a Paris criminal court on Monday for allegedly sexually assaulting two women in a 2021 film.

Depardieu, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, is accused of using “violence, coercion, surprise or threat” in the alleged assault, which prosecutors said took place on the set of “Les Volets verts” (“The Green Shutters”). .

Prosecutors say that in both cases, the victims reported that the 75-year-old actor grabbed their legs and groped their buttocks, genitals, chest and breasts over their clothes.

The lawsuit comes as France continues to grapple with sexual violence in the wake of the #MeToo movement that has struggled to find traction, particularly in the film industry.

Prosecutors say there are witnesses on the set

One of the victims was identified as a 53-year-old production designer. The Associated Press generally does not identify victims of sexual assault without their consent. Her attorney did not respond to an email from the AP regarding the matter.

According to Paris prosecutors, the woman told investigators that she first heard Depardieu make sexual remarks and then one day, as she was walking past him, he “grabbed her, pulled her towards him , blocked her with his legs and groped her. waist, hips and chest, accompanying his gestures with obscene lines.”

Three people witnessed it, prosecutors said, confirming that the woman tried to break Depardieu’s grip and appeared “shocked”. A psychiatric exam granted him a seven-day leave of absence.

After the incident, Depardieu was arranged to apologize. But in a TV interview aired on Saturday, she said the actor was furious and blamed her for causing trouble. Prosecutors said witnesses confirmed that what Depardieu had said did not constitute an apology.

In an interview with French online news site Mediapart, the production designer – who spoke on camera but only gave her first name – said the alleged assault had affected her personal and professional life for at least 1 year and half. She said she couldn’t sleep well, suffered anxiety attacks and lost weight.

The woman, according to prosecutors, said it took her a while to file a complaint, but decided to do so after hearing on television that there had never been an incident during filming.

A month before the alleged attack, another woman who also worked on the film set complained about Depardieu, Paris prosecutors said.

A manager’s assistant told investigators that Depardieu touched her buttocks several times. She expressed her disapproval and in return Depardieu, she said, was insulted towards her. She was also given a six-day leave from a psychiatrist.

Jérémie Assous, Depardieu’s lawyer, told the AP in an email Saturday that “the witnesses and the evidence (Depardieu) will present will demonstrate that he is the target of the false allegations.”

It is not clear when the court will rule.

Macron and several members of the film industry support Depardieu

Despite the allegations against Depardieu, many have come out in support of him, including French President Emmanuel Macron.

Late last year, 56 French performers, writers and producers published an essay defending the film star, saying that when “Gérard Depardieu is targeted in this way, art (cinema) is under attack.”

Their call came just weeks after national broadcaster France 2 released a documentary outlining allegations of sexual misconduct by 16 women against Depardieu and showed the actor making obscene remarks and gestures during a trip to Korea of the North from 2018.

In the footage, Depardieu can be seen making moaning sounds and sexual comments in front of women, including a 10-year-old girl riding a horse. He can also be seen posing for a photo, saying he’s “touching the ass” of a North Korean performer alongside him.

He was charged in 2021 with rape and sexual assault after authorities reopened a 2018 investigation that was initially dropped following allegations by actor Charlotte Arnould.

In an open letter published in the conservative-leaning Le Figaro newspaper last year, Depardieu said: “I have never, ever abused a woman.”

The actor has long been seen as a national icon in France. He was a global ambassador for French film and enjoyed international fame with several roles in Hollywood.

Earlier this year, actor Judith Godrèche called on France’s film industry to “face the truth” about sexual violence and physical abuse during the Cesar Awards ceremony, France’s version of the Oscars.

Godrèche previously claimed that two prominent filmmakers sexually abused her as a teenager, sending new shockwaves through the industry.

More recently, the trial of 50 men accused of raping a woman who had previously been drugged and knocked unconscious by her husband shook the country. Protests spread nationwide last weekend in support of the victim, a mother and grandmother in her early 70s who became a hero to many victims of sexual violence for insisting that her trial be open to the public.

Feminist groups called for a protest outside the court ahead of Monday’s hearings.