French film legend Gérard Depardieu is set to face trial in Paris after being formally ordered to stand trial on rape charges. The allegations were brought by actress Charlotte Arnould, who accuses the 76-year-old actor of sexually assaulting her at his Paris home in 2018 when she was 22.
The case has been a long and complex one. Initially closed due to insufficient evidence, it was reopened in 2020 and placed Depardieu under formal investigation in 2022. The court’s latest decision marks a historic turning point, confirming that the matter will now proceed through criminal trial.
This new trial comes only months after Depardieu was convicted in May 2025 of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021. He received an 18-month suspended prison sentence, a €29,000 fine, and was placed on France’s sex offender registry.
Arnould has welcomed the court’s decision, describing it as a crucial step toward what she calls “judicial truth.” Her case has become a rallying point for France’s #MeToo movement, signaling growing accountability even for the nation’s most powerful cultural icons.
For Depardieu, once celebrated as one of France’s greatest actors, this trial represents a steep fall from grace. For the French film industry, it is a moment of reckoning—one that challenges longstanding silence around abuse and misconduct in the arts.
As the trial date approaches, it will not only determine Depardieu’s legal fate but also shape the broader conversation about justice, power, and accountability in French culture.