Credits: Georges Biard / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0.
A press release unveiled on Monday announced the return of Gérard Depardieu in an Austrian film. His agent firmly denies the information.
While an Austrian producer had announced Gérard Depardieu’s return to cinema in an action film, despite the many accusations of sexual violence hanging over the actor, the agent of the revered icon formally denied the information this Tuesday, May 21, to our colleagues at BFMTV.
The information, picked up by The Sun, came from a press release revealed Monday by PR Newswire. The American news agency had reported that the 75-year-old French actor would soon be starring in a film called Travel Agents.
It was to be co-produced by Austrians Norbert Blecha, a producer, and Jürgen Pichler — nicknamed Trickster —, a musician and businessman. Pichler, who was also supposed to have a role in the feature film, had shared the information on his own Instagram account.
The press release even attributed remarks to Gérard Depardieu: "This project comes at a good time, I’m looking forward to getting back to work," it read. "I was chosen to portray a terrific character and I can’t wait to bring him to life."
The PR Newswire release promised a film with a budget of nearly 85 million pounds sterling (nearly 100 million euros), based on real events shot in Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Spain, and the Dominican Republic. The same release announced that models Alexandra Pekarkova and Monika Jakišić would also have leading roles in the feature film.
Pichler addressed the controversies surrounding Gérard Depardieu: "Of course, he has recently faced serious accusations," it read. "Myself and all the actors and the team of ‘Travel Agents’ stand for empowerment and empathy."
Since 2020, five women have filed complaints against the actor for rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, or sexist insults, and a sixth complaint was mentioned by Mediapart last March. Already indicted for rape, he "was served with a summons to the criminal court" and will be tried in October 2024 in Paris for acts that took place in 2021.
Gérard Depardieu, for his part, categorically denies all accusations against him. "Never, ever, have I abused a woman," he said last October in Le Figaro. He did, however, admit to having a "provocative, excessive, sometimes crude" temperament.
The VMA agency representing the actor is also denying any involvement by the famed actor.