French actor Gérard Depardieu has been ordered to stand trial for the alleged rape of actress Charlotte Arnould, who says she is now “ready” to face him in court after years of waiting. The case relates to two separate incidents said to have taken place at Depardieu’s Paris home in August 2018.
Arnould, now 29, broke her silence in an emotional radio interview on Wednesday, describing the past seven years as “absolute hell” since first filing her complaint. “I didn’t realize it at first—the weight of this is enormous, and the wait has been so long,” she told RTL. “I’ve been through depths I didn’t think I’d escape.”
The investigating judge has ruled that Depardieu must face a criminal court over accusations of sexual assault and digital rape on August 7 and August 13, 2018. Depardieu’s lawyer has announced plans to appeal the decision.
Arnould, who was 22 at the time and struggling with anorexia, said she saw Depardieu as a father figure and trusted him implicitly. She had been invited to his home as a family friend. But within minutes of arriving, she said, “everything changed.” She accused him of making shocking comments before assaulting her.
Six days later, she returned—not to see him, she explained, but to confront him. Instead, she says, she was assaulted again.
Depardieu’s defense team is expected to mount a vigorous challenge, a prospect Arnould says she is prepared for. “I know he will use every tool available to him. He has a defense as well-funded as he is wealthy,” she said. “But I have no choice—this is about survival.”
Her lawyer, Carine Durrieu Diebolt, called the case “very solid” and accused Depardieu’s legal team of using aggressive tactics that amount to “secondary victimization”—re-traumatizing the victim through legal proceedings.
Despite the long road ahead, Arnould says she is unafraid. “I will be crushed, I know what he will say… But I am ready. I have the truth with me.”
The trial, if it goes ahead, will be one of the most closely watched in recent French legal history.
