Gérard Depardieu is “an aggressor for women but also for his own country”, according to François Hollande

“We saw a character adrift. He was an aggressor not just for women but also for his own country and its representatives,” said François Hollande about Gérard Depardieu on the set of C à vous, Thursday April 4.

The former President of the Republic, invited to talk about his comic strip Their Europe explained to young and old, did not skimp on words to evoke the giant of French cinema. Among the many subjects discussed during the program hosted by Anne-Élisabeth Lemoine, was the book by Le Monde journalists Raphaëlle Bacqué and Samuel Blumenfeld on Gérard Depardieu, A Very French Affair. The two authors were present to present their original investigation.

Also read: Gérard Depardieu: a decorator files a complaint for alleged sexual assault

After an extract evoking the complex relations between the actor and the former president, the latter, invited to speak on the subject, did so with good grace. On the verge of settling scores. “I had trouble with Depardieu not because anyone was picking a quarrel with him personally but because he was first and foremost a tax exile which was problematic,” he declares in the preamble. Before adding: “He also declared himself to be of several nationalities and he was reluctant to say that he himself was French (...). It wasn’t me who was at fault, but the institutions.”

François Hollande also deplored the indulgence enjoyed by Gérard Depardieu under the pretext of his great acting qualities. “He felt free. Nothing could touch him. He had broken all the rules. He had touched on the essentials: women's bodies, his own country, relationships with money and taxes. He could get away with anything and what's more, with a form of tolerance from all circles (...).” Before asking in conclusion: “How could we have this level of tolerance?”