Gérard Depardieu Denies Sexual Assault Allegations, but Admits He Grabbed Set Dresser’s Hips in First Testimony

French actor Gérard Depardieu denied sexually assaulting two women as he testified for the first time on Tuesday, though he admitted he did “grab the hips” of a set dresser during an argument.

“I understand perfectly if she’s a bit upset,” he said of touching the 54-year-old woman, with whom he worked on 2021’s “Les Volets Verts,” according to the AP. “She didn’t answer as if I was assaulting her.”

A 34-year-old assistant director has also accused Depardieu of groping her during filming of the 2015 TV movie “The Magician and the Siamese.” If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

“I’ve always been told I have a Russian nature, I don’t know if it’s because of the drinking or the vulgarity,” Depardieu further explained of himself on the stand. “I’m not touching the butts of women.”

“I am capable of trash talk,” he admitted. “I don’t have to talk like that, get angry like that, voilà.”

Depardieu previously denied being a rapist or a predator in response to actress Charlotte Arnould’s 2018 lawsuit against him. While fellow actress Hélène Darras’ similar allegations were dropped by French prosecutors in 2024 due to the statute of limitations, as many as 13 other women have also accused the Oscar-nominated actor of misconduct.

The post Gérard Depardieu Denies Sexual Assault Allegations, but Admits He Grabbed Set Dresser’s Hips in First Testimony appeared first on TheWrap.