Gerard Depardieu DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment A French investigative judge has ordered veteran actor Gerard Depardieu to stand trial for an alleged 2018 rape and sexual assault of actress Charlotte Arnould. Arnould alleges that Depardieu, a friend of her father's, raped her on two separate occasions in the summer of 2018 when she had visited his Parisian home to ask for advice. Arnould was 22 years old at the time. The Green Card and Cyrano de Bergerac actor was 69. France's biggest film star facing a trial over rape and sexual assault allegations comes as the nation's film industry grapples with its #MeToo moment. As part of an earlier trial and conviction, Depardieu was given a 18-month suspended prison sentence after two women accused the French acting legend of assaulting them on the set of French film The Green Shutters in 2021. Related Stories Movies Telluride: Richard Linklater on 'Nouvelle Vague,' Selling It to Netflix and France's Oscar Choice Lifestyle A Year Removed From the Summer Games, Paris' Post-Olympics Offerings Include New Stays for Facials, Food and Fashion The new trial over a complaint by Arnould will take place in a French criminal court, which has jurisdiction over serious crimes punishable by five years or more of imprisonment if a conviction is reached. "Seven years later, seven years of horror and hell, I think I'm having trouble realizing how huge this is. I'm relieved," Arnould said on Instagram. Arnould first filed the complaint against Depardeiu in 2018. She then brought criminal charges in 2020, alleging Depardieu twice raped and assaulted her at his Paris home in August 2018. Depardieu denies the allegations, but lost an appeal for the French criminal court to drop the case. That opened the way for a Parisian investigating judge to indict Depardieu for rape and sexual assault, while releasing him without judicial supervision. A French judge has now ordered Depardieu to trial. Depardieu denies all wrongdoing in these and the many other sexual assault accusations brought against him in recent years. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Obituaries Mark Knoller, Former CBS News White House Correspondent, Dies at 73 Vicky Krieps Family Relations Get Toasted and Roasted in Teaser for Jim Jarmusch's 'Father Mother Sister Brother' Venice 2025 Karla Sofía Gascón to Receive Best International Actress Award in Venice in Wake of Scandal Venice Film Festival 2025 Julia Roberts Says Humanity Is Losing "Art of Conversation" but Hopes 'After the Hunt' Can Turn That Around politics Charlamagne Tha God Likes Gavin Newsom's Latest Move but Still Favors Jon Stewart for President The Fallout 'The Apprentice' and 'The Fallout' Producer Accused by Feds of Scamming $12 Million Obituaries Mark Knoller, Former CBS News White House Correspondent, Dies at 73 Vicky Krieps Family Relations Get Toasted and Roasted in Teaser for Jim Jarmusch's 'Father Mother Sister Brother' Venice 2025 Karla Sofía Gascón to Receive Best International Actress Award in Venice in Wake of Scandal Venice Film Festival 2025 Julia Roberts Says Humanity Is Losing "Art of Conversation" but Hopes 'After the Hunt' Can Turn That Around politics Charlamagne Tha God Likes Gavin Newsom's Latest Move but Still Favors Jon Stewart for President The Fallout 'The Apprentice' and 'The Fallout' Producer Accused by Feds of Scamming $12 Million