Spanish journalist Ruth Baza files complaint, bringing serious allegations against the French actor, opening Pandora's box of past scandals.

Scandal has erupted in the film world in recent days with the filing of a rape complaint against famous French actor Gérard Depardieu. Spanish journalist and writer Ruth Baza made public the incident, which took place in Paris in 1995, raising questions about the film star's controversial past.

At the time of the incident, Ruth Baza was just 23 and Gérard Depardieu was 46. The journalist had come to interview the actor for Cinemanía magazine, but the interview took a shocking turn. In her recent complaint to the Spanish police, Ruth Baza speaks of "an intrusion without any consent" and recounts how she felt "paralyzed" during the events, which took place on the premises of the former Roissy Films production company, reports Digi24. 

Despite the fact that in Spain the charge is framed as sexual assault, Ruth Baza says it was rape. In an interview with AFP, she explained that this is how she was described by police, revealing shocking details about the timing of the interview. "When we started the interview, we were both standing up and I don't know how, all of a sudden, he picked me up. He started kissing me all over my face. He kissed me on the mouth and I couldn't move," the journalist confessed.

The events, although more than two decades ago, are now coming to light, brought to light by Ruth Baza's recent complaint. She claims she had completely forgotten about the incidents until she read the investigation published in April by the news website Mediapart, in which 13 women accused Gérard Depardieu of sexual violence. Confronted with the revelations, the journalist said they triggered an "inner awakening" and she recalled the details of the events, corroborated by personal notes from the period.

From a legal perspective, the complaint is unlikely to succeed, given the statute of limitations in France. However, Ruth Baza decided to file the complaint in the hope that it might "help others" to have the courage to do the same. Gérard Depardieu, a French national icon, has previously been accused of rape in 2020 and in other cases that have created a wave of criticism.

This scandal brings to the fore questions about the leniency granted to celebrities and the challenges faced by victims of sexual assault in facing the statute of limitations. Whatever the legal outcome, it is clear that the charges against Gérard Depardieu will have a profound impact on his image and the discussion of sexual abuse in the film industry.

Gerard Depardieu also risks losing the Legion of Honour medal. The award given to the French actor could be stripped from him following a series of sexual assault allegations and a TV documentary in which Depardieu made lewd comments about women. French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak said she had asked the "Grande chancellerie" committee, responsible for awarding the Legion of Honour, France's highest honor, to start disciplinary proceedings to consider whether the medal should be withdrawn. Gerard Depardieu has been at the centre of several allegations of sexism and sexual violence in recent years. In 2022, a Paris court decided to continue the investigation against Depardieu after an actress accused him of rape. Since then, several women have accused him of sexual violence. Gerard Depardieu denies all the accusations.