Gérard Depardieu dropped his legal challenge against a 2025 criminal conviction, avoiding an appeals retrial that was scheduled to begin on Monday, November 16, according to Bored Panda.
The unexpected withdrawal comes after a French court sentenced the veteran actor to 18 months in prison, suspended, in May 2025. Magistrates also ordered him to register as a sex offender in France and imposed financial penalties over secondary victimization by his defense team.
Depardieu denied the allegations throughout the proceedings.
He was expected to contest the verdict in an appeals retrial, but the actor withdrew his appeal instead.
New footage surfaced online showing the actor lifting an extra’s skirt on a film set. The clip generated severe backlash on social media platforms, amplifying public scrutiny surrounding the actor’s career.
Misconduct allegations on film sets
The legal proceedings stemmed from accusations made by two women who worked with Depardieu on the 2021 Paris film set of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters). The complainants included a hairdresser and an assistant director.
Their complaints followed initial accusations brought forward during the MeToo movement in 2018.
An aspiring actress accused the actor of misconduct at her home, leading to a broader wave of public allegations against the cinema icon.
Depardieu defended himself in October 2023 through an open letter published in the French newspaper Le Figaro.
“Never ever have I a**sed a woman,” Depardieu wrote in Le Figaro.
Charlotte Arnould addresses upcoming trial and political response
The legal pressure on the actor extends beyond the Les Volets Verts case. Depardieu faces a separate trial regarding allegations brought by fellow actor Charlotte Arnould, who stated she was violated at age 22.
Arnould addressed the upcoming trial publicly after magistrates sent the case to trial in September 2025.
“Seven years later, seven years of horror and hell. I think I’m having trouble realizing how huge this is. I’m relieved,” Arnould wrote on social media.
French political figures previously weighed in on the controversy surrounding the actor. President Emmanuel Macron defended Depardieu during a 2023 interview with France 5, condemning the intense media coverage as a manhunt and describing himself as an admirer of the performer.
“He makes France proud,” Macron said on France 5.
The exact schedule for the upcoming trial involving Arnould remains unannounced.
🇫🇷🗣Gérard Depardieu agresse une figurante en plein tournage 😫 pic.twitter.com/8HohVWsdge
Earlier coverage: Gérard Depardieu to Withdraw Appeal in Sexual Assault Case