French cinema giant Gérard Depardieu has given his first testimony in his trial, following allegations of assault against two women during the filming of a movie in 2021.

The actor admitted to using crude language and grabbing a woman’s thighs but denied accusations of sexual assault, stating that his behavior could sometimes be rough.

He acknowledged that he was wrong for using harsh language with a woman during a dispute on set over whether the film was good or bad art.

«I understand very well if the woman is a little upset,» he said about the decorator he worked with on the 2021 film. He confessed that he sometimes used crude words.

The 76-year-old Depardieu denied sexual assault allegations from a 54-year-old decorator and a 34-year-old assistant. The women claim that he raped them during the filming of the 2021 movie *Les Volets Verts* (Green Shutters). If found guilty, the actor faces up to five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros.

Due to Depardieu’s fame and influence in French cinema, the trial is seen as a significant test of France’s willingness to confront sexual violence and hold powerful men accountable, AFP reported.

He is the most famous figure to face accusations as part of the delayed response from French cinema to the #MeToo movement. Depardieu told the court that it would lead to «a kingdom of terror.»

He described how, after a heated argument with the decorator named Amélie, he grabbed her thighs, but only «so she wouldn’t slip.»

He insisted that his gesture was not malicious and maintained that the woman did not seem offended, saying, «She didn’t react as if I was attacking her.»

After Depardieu’s testimony, Amélie told the court that he behaved like «a wild animal» and was «not at all the person you see here today in court.»

She said he «constantly made remarks about women,» including about their clothing. She repeated her account of sexual assault and sexist insults during the September 2021 filming.

The woman stated that Depardieu boasted about being able to «give women orgasms without touching them» and that he «rudely grabbed» her. She claimed that the actor touched her by «closing his legs» around her, making contact with her waist, stomach, and chest, while making «obscene remarks.»

Famous actress Anouk Greenberg, who appeared in *Les Volets Verts*, supported the two plaintiffs. Greenberg had previously stated that Depardieu constantly made «obscene remarks» during the filming.

Depardieu admitted in court that his behavior was sometimes considered rough. «I was always told that I had a ‘Russian’ temperament; I don’t know what that means, whether it’s drunkenness or crudeness,» he said.

However, he insisted that he «never touched women’s behinds.»