Prominent French actors reflect on #MeToo impact

Some of France's most prominent male movie stars have testified at a parliamentary inquiry into sexual violence in the film business, saying they might have missed or even been guilty of inappropriate remarks before the #MeToo movement changed attitudes.

Jean Dujardin, an Oscar winner in 2012 for his turn in "The Artist," and domestic silver screen heroes Gilles Lellouche, Pio Marmai, and Jean-Paul Rouve agreed to speak to lawmakers last month behind closed doors.

A transcript of their remarks was published on the French National Assembly's website on Tuesday, which AFP consulted.

Dujardin welcomed the #MeToo movement to denounce sexual violence, which has led to a series of scandals in the French industry but which was initially resisted as a puritan American import by some senior figures, including actress Catherine Deneuve.

"We don't see everything -- and perhaps we don't want to see," Dujardin, 52, said when asked why male actors had not spoken out earlier to protect their women colleagues or reported sexual violence. "I think the #MeToo movement has been useful from that point of view."

(FILES) French actor and Master of Ceremony Pio Marmai poses before the 50th edition of the Cesar Film Awards ceremony at the Olympia venue in Paris on February 28, 2025. Four French actors presented their vision of the #Metoo movement to the National Assembly, confessing that they had sometimes been "insistent" and had not seen - or did not want to see - the assaults suffered by women. These four stars, beloved by the public, testified in early March before the commission of inquiry into violence committed in cinema. One of the rare hearings held behind closed doors, but whose transcript was published on March 18, 2025. Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP

He added that "we no longer say what we used to say 10 or 15 years ago, and we won’t say the same things in 10 years either ... I feel that sexist reactions and clumsy remarks are gradually disappearing."

The #MeToo movement shook the French film industry in 2017, as it did Hollywood, exposing widespread sexual misconduct and challenging a long-standing culture of silence.

Several high-profile actors and directors have since been accused of sexual misconduct, including national hero and "Cyrano de Bergerac" star Gerard Depardieu, who faces allegations from more than a dozen women.

A verdict in a sexual assault trial is expected following Monday.

Other targets include director Christophe Ruggia, who was found guilty of sexually assaulting a child actor last month, and Roman Polanski, who is wanted in the United States for statutory rape.

Actor Judith Godreche, who helped spur the creation of the parliamentary inquiry, accused two French directors -- Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon -- of abusing her when she was a teenager. Both deny the charges.

French film director Christophe Ruggia, who has been accused of sexual abuse by actress Adèle Haenel AFP

'Inappropriate'

Lellouche, a widely admired French star who voices Obelix in the Asterix films and directed last year's domestic hit "L'Amour ouf," said #MeToo had led him to reflect on his conduct.

"If I examine my behavior, I must certainly have been clumsy - it’s obvious," said the 52-year-old, who also had a cameo in the French hit series "Call My Agent."

Marmai, 40, agreed.

"I think I may have been clumsy in how I expressed things. I always try to create a relaxed and cheerful working atmosphere, and at times, I must have made misunderstood jokes," he said.

"There have been times when I apologized verbally and in writing to the person offended by my remarks."

Jean-Paul Rouve, who starred opposite Marion Cotillard in the 2007 biopic of Edith Piaf, "La Vie en Rose," said, "No actress friend ever told me about a shoot that a certain director or actor was inappropriate."

(FILES) French actor and director Gilles Lellouche poses before the 50th edition of the Cesar Film Awards ceremony at the Olympia venue in Paris on February 28, 2025. Four French actors presented their vision of the #Metoo movement to the National Assembly, confessing that they had sometimes been "insistent" and had not seen - or did not want to see - the assaults suffered by women. These four stars, beloved by the public, testified in early March before the commission of inquiry into violence committed in cinema. One of the rare hearings held behind closed doors, but whose transcript was published on March 18, 2025.Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP

He added: "What we used to hear was, 'Oh, he’s a bit of a flirt.' But I couldn’t have imagined what they were going through or how far it could go. As a man, I didn’t experience all that — it’s a world I’ve discovered."

Several actors stressed that inappropriate behavior was not restricted to men; female actors or directors were also guilty.

Lellouche recounted an experience involving a woman director who tried to "seduce" him.

"I didn’t feel violently attacked — it was things like hands under my shirt. If I had done the same to a woman, it wouldn’t have been okay," he added.

Lawmakers approved the creation of the inquiry last May.

It is headed by Greens MP Sandrine Rousseau.