Arnold Jerocki/WireImage
Gérard Darmon on the promotion of the film “À l’Ancienne”, during the 17th Angoulême Francophone Film Festival, August 28, 2024.
SEXUAL VIOLENCE – He is known for his humor, charisma and distinctive deep voice. Gérard Darmonnow aged 76, has left his mark on French cinema over the last fifty years. But he also left a chilling memory for several women he met on set. This is what a survey published this Wednesday, November 27 by Politis reveals.
In the columns of the weekly Politisnine women testify to having been victims of humiliating comments and inappropriate gestures on the part of Gérard Darmon, often with sexual connotations. The facts reported, which allegedly took place “ on filming locationsin rehearsal, in the closed cabin of a dressing room, in the canteen or on the set »could, depending on the descriptions, constitute sexual harassment, or even sexual assault for some.
These incidents are all the more disturbing as they are relatively recent: the oldest dates back to 2018, while the most recent would have occurred in the summer of 2024. Contacted by the Politisthe actor denied having made any inappropriate comments or gestures. The newspaper sent him a list of questions which he did not wish to answer.
Dressers, makeup artists, assistants
Among the women who testify, several held precarious positions at the time of the events. Some were makeup artists or dressers, others technicians or production assistants. One of them was just a simple intern. She says that, on the set of You are young, you are beautiful in 2018, Gérard Darmon allegedly made advances towards him.
To begin with, she notices that he was showing himself “very honeyed, pressing his kisses to the corner of the mouth”. Then, when she offered him a hot drink, the actor refused, adding this sentence: “We can make love, you can come to my house. » She then insists that she is not interested, but he would come back to the charge later: “You’re going to regret it, you’re going to fall into my arms in a few weeks. »
At this moment, the 19-year-old young woman reminds Gérard Darmon that she could be the age of his children. The actor would then have become offended and would have fallen into insults. “He spoke extremely badly to me. He said to me: ‘Hello female dog, do you prefer that I call you female dog or little slut?’ »she says.
On the same shoot, the first assistant director also remembers a sharp remark from Gérard Darmon. “It’s okay, you’re not going to give me a MeToo!” »he would have said to her after having, according to his account, “put his hand between (his) thighs while saying hello” as she sat cross-legged. Faced with this gesture, she would have rejected him. In response, the actor, according to her, adopted hostile behavior in “making a fool of him for two weeks”.
To these two testimonies are added five others. All describe behavior that is gritty, sexist and humiliating. One of the women reportedly filed a complaint with production, while some dared to report the facts. However, most feared losing their jobs if they spoke out.
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