French actor Gérard Depardieu has been charged with rape by French authorities over an incident that occurred in August 2018.
The 72-year-old actor was charged in December for raping a woman in his home in Paris, but the news did not come to light until now. News agency AFP broke the news on the charges, citing a judicial source.
According to AFP, an investigation into the accusations were dropped in 2019 over lack of evidence. But it was reopened last year, leading to the actor being charged in December.
The actor’s lawyer, Hervé Témime, told French newspaper Le Monde that Depardieu “totally disputes the facts with which he is accused.”
Attorney Elodie Tuaillon-Hibon, who represents the alleged victim, told AFP that she hoped her client’s “private sphere will be respected.”
Some reports have suggested Depardieu and the actress were rehearsing a scene of a theatre play, but the source said “there was nothing professional about the encounter”.
Depardieu is also a well-known name in Hollywood, having worked in projects such as ‘Green Card’ in 1990, ‘The Man in the Iron Mask’ in 1998, the Queen Latifah starrer ‘Last Holiday’ in 2006, among others.
