Gérard Depardieu to Stand Trial Over Rape Allegations by Actress Charlotte Arnould

PARIS, Sept. 2, 2025 - French film legend Gérard Depardieu will face trial on charges of raping actress Charlotte Arnould in 2018, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced Tuesday.

An investigating judge has ordered Depardieu, 76, to appear before the Paris Criminal Court on counts of rape and sexual assault by digital penetration, based on two alleged incidents at his Paris residence on Aug. 7 and Aug. 13, 2018. Depardieu has consistently denied any wrongdoing and maintains that his relationship with Arnould, now 29, was entirely consensual.

Arnould, who first filed a complaint in August 2018, expressed relief at the decision. “Seven years later, seven years of horror and hell… I think I’m having trouble realizing how huge this is. I’m relieved,” she wrote on Instagram.

Depardieu, a two‐time César Award winner whose career has spanned more than five decades, was convicted in May 2025 of sexually assaulting two women on a film set and received an 18-month suspended prison sentence-an outcome he has appealed. His lawyer has not yet commented on the latest indictment.

No trial date has been set. Meanwhile, Arnould has emerged as a prominent voice in France’s #MeToo movement, advocating for greater accountability in the film industry.