The French investigative magazine “Mediapart” and “Le Média” have published previously unknown recordings and witness statements about an alleged sexual assault by actor Gérard Depardieu. The images show how the then 62-year-old repeatedly and persistently touched a young extra on the thigh, crotch and buttocks during filming while she tried to push his hand away. “Mediapart” claims to have verified the authenticity of the recordings published by “Le Média”.
The scene was taken on November 2, 2011 during filming for the 2013 film “Turf” at the Auteuil racecourse. Around 150 extras were involved in the scene. According to “Mediapart”, which said it was able to see the script, the touching was not intended.
The magazine tracked down the affected extra. According to the report, Olivia, then 22 years old and a student, spoke publicly about the incident for the first time and with a recognizable face. She reports that Depardieu left his hand on her buttocks for a long time.
He also tried several times to touch her crotch and grabbed her breast. She tried “by all means possible” to take his hand away, but he started again. Olivia says she felt “attacked” and that what happened itself was an attack.
Casting director took Depardieu's arm length into account
According to “Mediapart”, the then casting director Fany Touya-Calmon also commented on the incident for the first time in front of the camera. She repositioned the extras, taking Depardieu's arm length into account so that he couldn't touch them.
Touya-Calmon also said she informed both the production manager and director Fabien Onteniente about the incident. According to her account, the production downplayed the events and did nothing. Onteniente, on the other hand, went to Depardieu at the end of the day of filming. During a “Mediapart” research in 2023, the director reported that the extra had come to him “in tears”. He then confronted Depardieu and pointed out to him that a camera had filmed from a low angle and that his behavior could be seen. According to Onteniente, Depardieu then appeared embarrassed, like a child who had done something wrong.
“Mediapart” also reports difficulties in later editing the film scenes. Several post-production people interviewed by the magazine said it was difficult to find usable images of the scene in question. A staff member reported that the extra looked visibly unwell and her skirt moved in three or four takes. Another said she struggled to find a shot in which the extra didn't move away from Depardieu.
The production companies Chez Wam and Pathé as well as the then production manager Bruno Vatin did not answer queries from “Mediapart”. Vatin told the magazine in 2023 that he had “no memory of this event.” It was a chaotic shoot with numerous problems for him, which is why his memory may be failing him. Depardieu also did not respond to repeated inquiries from the magazine. As early as 2023, he had his lawyer at the time reject all allegations that could be criminally relevant.
The research was published just a day before the news that Depardieu plans to withdraw his appeal against a sexual assault conviction. The 77-year-old was sentenced to 18 months in prison on probation in May 2025 for sexually assaulting two women while filming “Les Volets verts” in 2021. The appeal process was scheduled to begin next Monday. A source familiar with the case told AFP on Friday that Depardieu would withdraw his appeal. This means that the original judgment becomes legally binding. AFP also reported that Depardieu denied the allegations.
