The trial of French actor Gerard Depardieu on sexual assault charges opened on Monday in the absence of the celebrity, who had declared himself to be ill, RTE reports.

 

His lawyer, Jeremie Assous, had said earlier that Depardieu, 75, was “extremely affected” by ill health, and that he had asked for proceedings to be delayed until he could attend in person.

 

“Unfortunately his doctors have forbidden him from appearing here today,” Assous said.

 

He asked the court for a six-month suspension of the trial, which comes after numerous other complaints and with a possible second court case already lying in wait.

 

The actor is the highest-profile figure to face accusations in French cinema’s version of the #MeToo movement, triggered in 2017 by allegations against US producer Harvey Weinstein.

 

Depardieu faces charges of abuse that allegedly occurred during a 2021 film shoot. The names of the two women accusing him have not been made public.

 

One of the plaintiffs, a set dresser now aged 55, reported in February that she had suffered sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexist insults while filming director Jean Becker’s Les Volet Verts (The Green Shutters) in a private house in Paris.

 

“I expect the justice system to be the same for everybody and for monsieur Depardieu not to receive special treatment just because he’s an artist,” the plaintiff’s lawyer Carine Durrieu-Diebolt said.

 

Assous said that Depardieu’s defence would offer “witnesses and evidence that will show he has simply been targeted by false accusations”.

 

He accused the plaintiff of attempting to “make money” by seeking €30,000 in compensation.

 

The plaintiff told French investigative website Mediapart that Depardieu had started loudly calling for a cooling fan during the shoot because he “couldn’t even get it up” in the heat.

 

She claimed the actor went on to boast that he could “give women an orgasm without touching them”.