There is intense interest in the trial of Gerard Depardieu in Paris.
Warning: This article contains details of alleged sexual assaults that some readers might find distressing.
Members of the public queued to get access to the criminal court, despite the fact Depardieu‘s lawyer had said that the actor was too ill to attend on Monday.
There wasn’t a free seat in the courtroom as proceedings began.
In the front row, flanked by their lawyers, were the women who allege the French film star sexually assaulted them on the set of a movie in 2021.
To their left, the slick city legal team representing the 75-year-old actor.
Depardieu is accused of two sexual assaults. If found guilty it could carry a sentence of five years in prison and a fine of €75,000 (£62,000).
Both women allege that on separate occasions the actor pinned them between his legs and touched their genitals, buttocks and chest over their clothes, the court heard.
One of them said that while she was a set decorator for the film Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters), she heard Depardieu make several sexual comments.
She alleges that one day as she passed him in a corridor, he had grabbed her, pulled her towards him, pinned her down with his legs, and kneaded her on the waist, hips and chest, accompanying his gestures with obscene comments.
The second woman stated that Depardieu had touched her buttocks in the street, then touched her chest a few days later on the set of the shoot, and touched her buttocks again on another occasion.
The actor denies all the allegations.
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Depardieu, who has appeared in more than 200 films, is considered an icon of French cinema.
He has been accused of sexual assault by more than a dozen other women and is embroiled in a separate case where he is accused of rape.
In an open letter, he said has never “abused a woman”.
Pic: Reuters
The court decided that his trial would be postponed until March next year because of his health concerns.
Depardieu’s legal team has asked for a six-month delay to the proceedings with a health check in three months after a doctor confirmed he was suffering from issues including high blood pressure and complications from diabetes.
They said his health means he currently cannot sit for long periods of time and the stress would affect his ongoing health issue.
The actor’s legal team also demanded that more time be set aside for the trial so they can call further witnesses.
On several occasions, the presiding judge asked Depardieu’s lawyer not to stray from the topic of the possible postponement.
Lawyers for the women told the panel of judges that the delay should be as short as possible to avoid adding to their trauma.
They also asked for further independent health checks to be conducted.
The actor has been offered support by a group of actors and directors, who said that an attack on Depardieu represented “an attack on art itself”.
The trial is seen as a huge moment for the growing MeToo movement in France, with Depardieu the most high-profile person to be accused.
MeToo, which became well known in America during the Harvey Weinstein rape case, exists to highlight sexual violence against women and to push for more action by authorities.
It has often placed a focus on areas such as filmmaking – industries that have long been dominated by men.
French President Emmanuel Macron has described Depardieu as “the pride of France”, sparking an angry response from campaigners who claimed he was undermining efforts to protect women from violence.
French actress Lea Seydoux, known for her role in the Bond film No Time To Die, described Mr Macron’s words as “crazy” and said “it gives a very bad image of our country”.