A French museum on Monday removed a wax likeness of film superstar Gerard Depardieu, the management said, in the latest such measure taken against the actor accused of sexual assault. His family says the actor has been the target of an "unprecedented conspiracy" in recent days.
The Grevin Museum took away his statue "following the negative reactions of visitors" passing in front of it, as well as comments "on social media", it said.
A life-size representation of Depardieu, 74, had been on display at the wax museum since 1981.
Depardieu was one of around 250 French and international personalities represented at the Grevin Museum.
Others have included French football icon Zinedine Zidane and French actor Omar Sy, as well as American film star Ryan Gosling and Britain's King Charles III.
Depardieu, an icon of French cinema with more than 200 titles to his name, including in the 1990 comedy "Green Card", was charged with rape in 2020 and has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by more than a dozen women.
A television report released this month which included footage of him making sexist comments, has thrown the allegations back in the limelight and reignited a debate about sexism in French cinema.
Depardieu in October rejected all accusations against him, and his family on Sunday denounced an "unprecedented conspiracy" against him.
Scandalous comments
Despite that there has been no court ruling against him, many have rushed to distance themselves from the actor in recent days.
On Saturday, a Belgian municipality stripped Depardieu of the title of honorary citizen, several days after the Canadian province of Quebec revoked its top honour over his "scandalous" comments against women.
Last week, French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak said the actor's behaviour shamed France, noting that he might be stripped of the Legion of Honour, the country's top award.
In 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron withdrew the Legion of Honour from Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein after a series of accusations of sexual harassment and rape.
"Of course, we are often shocked by Gerard's comments, but our father/grandfather/uncle is being the target of an unprecedented conspiracy," several members of his family, including his daughter, actress Julie Depardieu, said in a letter published in the Journal du Dimanche newspaper.
Deploring "this terrifying collective insanity", they said that "in private, with his children, he is an extremely modest, delicate and even prudish person!"
His family denounced France 2's investigation as a "monstrous manipulation".
They said Depardieu often liked to provoke but added that it was an act.
'Stop confusing words with deeds'
"He plays all the roles, even if it means shocking sensitive souls. Including us, of course," the letter said.
"But this documentary has chosen to reduce him to the mere role of 'total arsehole', the one we like least."
His family also said that some people were now taking offence at the actor's "excesses when only a short time ago that was part of the reason we loved him.
"He's being criticised today for doing what he was encouraged to do yesterday, which made a lot of people laugh on film sets, to loosen up the atmosphere."
The letter said it was necessary to stop "confusing words with deeds".
It added, "Using Gerard's verbal provocations to back up other (as yet unsubstantiated) accusations is extremely dishonest," the family said.
On Saturday, the film star's lawyers told French news agency AFP that he was putting his Legion of Honour award at the disposal of the minister.
The lawyers, Beatrice Geissmann Achille and Christian Saint-Palais, questioned whether it was part of Abdul Malak's role to participate "so actively in the manhunt" and "media lynching" to which they believed their client was being subjected.
(with AFP)
