\n<\/p>\n
Depardieu had been a Cannes stalwart since 1976, when Bernardo Bertolucci\u2019s historical epic \u201c1900,\u201d in which Depardieu acted opposite Robert De Niro, ran in an out-of-competition slot. He has appeared in nearly 30 movies at the festival and served as jury president in 1992.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday evening, at a beach party with free-flowing ros\u00e9, Michel Burstein, a publicist from the Paris-based company Bossa Nova, argued for what he called \u201cbalance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s probably guilty, probably been a very bad man,\u201d Burstein said. \u201cBut he has been also more respectful, a man who has achieved an unbelievable work in many domains.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s complicated,\u201d Burstein said, adding that he knew Depardieu and his brother Alain personally.<\/p>\n
Standing nearby, Benjamin Zeitoun, a producer, said he didn\u2019t want to judge. \u201cWhen you don\u2019t know the thing at the center, really close, it\u2019s not possible to have an opinion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This is far from the first time #MeToo has been a talking point at Cannes. In 2018, the actress Asia Argento called the festival Harvey Weinstein\u2019s \u201chunting ground<\/a>\u201d in a speech at the closing ceremony. The 2023 edition courted controversy when it opened with \u201cJeanne du Barry,\u201d a movie starring Johnny Depp, who had just won a defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard, who had accused him<\/a> of physical and sexual abuse.<\/p>\n Speaking by phone on Wednesday morning, Rupa Dash, the chief executive of the World Woman Foundation, which is running an event at a Cannes hotel during the festival, said Depardieu\u2019s conviction was \u201cdefinitely a win\u201d for the #MeToo movement, but was downplayed on the main stage of the festival.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n