Gerard Depardieu is speaking out against recent accusations of rape and sexual assault.
The 72-year-old French actor denied that he had raped a young actress at his home in an interview with La Repubblica, according to a report from People.
“I am innocent and I have nothing to fear,” Gerard said. “For me the investigation was closed, I am innocent and I have nothing to fear.”
He continued, “There is no proof, there is nothing against me.”
“I can only refute in very clear terms all the accusations, as I have already done before to the investigators,” the Life of Pi actor said. He also added that he would be appearing in court on March 10.
Gerard was originally accused in 2018 but the case was closed due to lack of evidence. It was reopened in 2020 and Gerard was formally charged in December.
He added that he was “very puzzled about the decision to reopen the investigation.”
“I find the media coverage of the case terrible. We live in an era dominated by a continuous and ruthless flow of information,” Gerard said. “With all these streaming channels, the new means of communication, the websites, the social networks, it is as if we are living with a headset that constantly transmits negative and often false and biased news.”
