Controversy reignites over video harassing North Korean girl
Minister of Culture: “The highest figure… “Disqualification of medal”
President, former first lady, and other actors
Women’s community protests: “There is no one above the law”
“To attack (Gérard) Depardieu is to attack art. “No one in our time can erase his traces.”
On the 25th, the French daily Le Figaro published an open letter titled ‘Do not erase Gérard Depardieu’ containing this content. The letter was signed by 56 people, including former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife and singer Carla Bruni, British actress Charlotte Rampling, and actors, writers, and filmmakers. Cultural figures publicly supported actor Gérard Depardieu (74), who was embroiled in sexual assault allegations. However, the women’s community and the left wing are expressing disgust at this advocacy and raising their voices of criticism.
Depardieu has appeared in more than 200 films, including ‘Cyrano’ and ‘La Vie En Rose’, for over 50 years, and is considered a ‘national actor’ in France, having won Best Actor awards at the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals. He became the target of criticism when he was indicted in late 2020 on charges of sexually assaulting an actress in her 20s in 2018, and was also accused of 13 other sexual crimes.
Depardieu was at the center of controversy again earlier this month. A one-hour documentary showing him making sexually harassing remarks to a female interpreter and a teenage girl during his visit to North Korea in 2018 was aired on French public broadcasting. Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak slammed him as “the greatest disgrace for France” and announced that he would be stripped of the country’s highest decoration, the Legion of Honor.
Then, some in the cultural world came out in support of Depardieu. Those who participated in the Le Figaro open letter pointed out, “We can no longer remain silent when a top actor is being lynched,” and “Because he is a mogul in the movie industry, the principle of presumption of innocence is not recognized.” He also said, “Losing a great actor is a tragedy and defeat,” and emphasized that he should continue acting.
The women’s community strongly protested. Laurent Bouillette, founder of Le Papillon (Butterfly), an organization that responds to violence against children, called the letter “disgraceful” and announced that he would fire actor Pierre Richard, who was named as a signatory, as a public relations ambassador for the organization. Anceil Mailper, head of the Women’s Foundation, told AFP, “No one is above the law,” and Emmanuel Dancourt, an activist who led France’s #MeToo (I accuse, too) movement, said, “I am appalled.”
The spark of controversy also spread to the political world. President Emmanuel Macron said on the 20th, “(Depardieu) is a great actor, a genius artist, and a person who introduced France to the world. He opposed the deprivation of the Order of Merit, saying, “The Legion of Honor is not intended to emphasize morality.” On the other hand, the opposition party and former President François Hollande refuted it, saying, “It is an insult to victims of sexual violence who want to speak out freely.”
Analysis suggests that the reason why Depardieu, who was embroiled in a sexual scandal, can be publicly defended is the antipathy toward the #MeToo movement sparked in the United States. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 26th, “France’s #MeToo movement has helped shake French society’s attitude toward sexual violence, but at the same time, there are concerns that it is suppressing freedom of art and expression.” The New York Times (NYT) also reported, “There is criticism (within France) that the #MeToo movement has indiscriminately imported American cancel culture (withdrawal of support for celebrities whose words and actions are judged to be contrary to political correctness).” .
French culture, which views artists’ actions and art separately, is also having an impact. Polish film director Roman Polanski was effectively kicked out of Hollywood after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a minor, but he is still making films in France. Depardieu also appeared in 15 movies even after the sexual assault allegations were revealed in 2018, but was later excluded from the set.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.