In a rare television appearance this week, legendary French actress Brigitte Bardot spoke out in support of Gérard Depardieu, days after the actor was convicted of sexually assaulting two women during a 2021 film shoot. At age 90, Bardot remains one of France’s most iconic and controversial cultural figures – and her comments have reignited deep tensions in a country still grappling with the legacy of its #MeToo movement.
“Talented people who touch the buttocks of a girl are consigned to the deepest dungeon,” Bardot said during the televised interview, voicing dismay at the treatment of Depardieu, who she described as “a genius.”
Dismissing contemporary feminism as excessive and alienating, she added, “Feminism isn’t my thing. Personally, I like men.”
The host pushed back gently: “But you can love men and be a feminist…”
Bardot’s response? “No.”
What Ever Happened to Bridget Bardot?
Bardot’s performances in films such as And God Created Woman and Contempt helped define 1960s French cinema, and her image became synonymous with sensuality and freedom. She has largely retreated from public life, living in near seclusion in the south of France. In recent decades, Bardot has becoming an increasingly polarising figure, having been fined several times for inflammatory remarks and outspoken criticism of the #MeToo movement.
Bardot continues to oversee the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, dedicated to animal welfare.
Gérard Depardieu Found Guilty of Sexual Assault
Depardieu is a towering figure of French cinema and one of its most globally recognised stars. He has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women during the filming of Les Volets Verts in Paris in 2021. On Tuesday, a Paris court sentenced the 76-year-old actor to an 18-month suspended prison term and ordered his name added to France’s sex offender registry.
The ruling marks a seismic shift in France’s reckoning with sexual violence in the entertainment industry, long criticised for protecting its cultural icons from accountability. Depardieu’s conviction is the most prominent in the country since the #MeToo movement erupted globally in 2017.
The assaults involved a 54-year-old set dresser, publicly identified only as Amélie, and a 34-year-old assistant director. Both women testified to repeated, invasive groping by Depardieu during the shoot. The judge ordered Depardieu to pay each woman €1,000 for “secondary victimisation” they suffered during the legal proceedings, including the courtroom tactics of his defence team, which the judge condemned as “excessively harsh.” Depardieu, who was absent during the verdict’s reading, plans to appeal the ruling, according to his lawyer Jérémie Assous. His current whereabouts remain unclear, though he was recently filming in the Azores with longtime collaborator Fanny Ardant.
