It stands to reason that hours after Gérard Depardieu was found guilty of sexual assault and handed an 18-month suspended sentence, that his Let the Sunshine In co-star and Cannes Film Festival Jury President Juliette Binoche would be asked to weigh in on whether justice was served in regards to her French peer.
Binoche was asked twice about Depardieu during this afternoon’s 78th Cannes Film Festival Jury press conference, the actress acknowledging that if it wasn’t for #MeToo, this would never have happened.
One reporter pressing Binoche called The Green Shutters and Green Card actor a “sacred monster and wonderful guy in the cinema who had reputation and so much power.”
“He’s not a sacred monster, he’s a man who lost his aura owing to facts that occurred and were looked at by a court,” retorted Binoche.
“He is no longer sacred as is the case now,” added the Unbearable Lightness of Being actress.
At the top of the presser, Binoche spoke about how Cannes is certainly is in synch with the times, in particular #MeToo. Depardieu’s verdict is also seen as a landmark #MeToo test case in France, which was slow to embrace the movement.
“The festival is following this trend in social and political life. There have been great changes occurring in the world; sometimes it follows the trend, sometimes it spearheads it. I think the festival is in step with what’s happening today. #MeToo took some time to gain strength. We reacted very strongly recently,” Binoche added.
Depardieu’s sentence follows a prolific tumultuous trial in Paris in March relating to accusations of groping on the set of Jean Becker’s The Green Shutters in 2021. The actor has had at least 20 public allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior against him, going back decades. Today’s sentence is related to assaults on two female crew members during production of The Green Shutters. The actor has repeatedly denied both accounts saying his actions were misinterpreted.
The post Juliette Binoche On Gérard Depardieu’s Guilty Sexual Assault Verdict: “He’s Not A Sacred Monster, He’s Just A Man” – Cannes appeared first on Deadline.
