Gérard Depardieu withdrew his legal appeal ahead of a scheduled court date, rendering an 18-month suspended prison sentence for sexual assault final, according to a report by Blick.
The 77-year-old actor reversed course just before his appeal proceedings were set to begin on Monday, as reported by Blick. The legal development leaves the probation sentence in place following a May 2025 conviction involving misconduct during 2021 film production work. Investigators and observers point to a newly surfaced video published by the French online outlet “Le Média” as a potential catalyst for the sudden reversal. The footage reportedly depicts the actor on the set of the 2011 comedy “Turf” at the Auteuil racecourse near Paris, where he is seen repeatedly touching a 22-year-old extra named Olivia without her consent.
“He placed his hand on my buttocks,” Olivia told the French investigative magazine Mediapart. Olivia said that the actor also grabbed her neckline, touched her breasts multiple times, and attempted to reach her crotch despite her active resistance. The physical contact was not part of the scripted film action, according to Mediapart reporting.
Casting director Fany Touya-Calmon was the only person on set who intervened, stating she had to reposition extras to keep them out of reach. Neither Depardieu nor his legal representation has commented on the authenticity of the video, and it remains unconfirmed whether the footage directly influenced his decision to drop the appeal, Blick reported.
Legal scrutiny surrounding the actor extends beyond the current suspended sentence, with approximately 20 women having brought forward accusations of misconduct.
The French judiciary is scheduled to decide in November whether a separate allegation involving actress Charlotte Arnould, who accused Depardieu of rape in 2018, will proceed to trial.
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