French actress Maïwenn, who is the director of Johnny Depp‘s “comeback” film Jeanne du Barry, which is set to open 2023’s Cannes Film Festival, has been accused of assault by a French journalist.
Editor-in-chief of online investigative newspaper Mediapart Edwy Plenel filed a complaint on March 7 with French police, claiming Maïwenn assaulted him while he was having dinner at a Paris restaurant on February 22, per Variety.
One day after Cannes Film Festival announced Jeanne Du Barry would open the 2023 event, the police report leaked to French media, with Plenel’s complaint accusing Maïwenn of aggression.
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Plenel alleges he had been having dinner with a lawyer when Maïwenn, who he claims had been sitting by herself at another table in the same establishment, approached Plenel and allegedly grabbed him by the hair and spat in his face before rushing out of the restaurant.
Quoting from the complaint, the AFP news agency says Plenel was not physically harmed but was left “traumatised by the incident”.
Maïwenn has yet to comment on the allegations.
Neither Plenel nor Mediapart has published any damning reports on Maïwenn, however, the news website has extensively reported on sexual assault allegations levelled against French director Luc Besson, her ex-husband.
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Maïwenn and Besson were married from 1992 to 1997, and share a daughter, Shanna Besson.
Mediapart was the first French media outlet to publish allegations against Besson, specifically Dutch actress Sand Van Roy’s accusations of rape. Besson denied Van Roy’s allegations, and Van Roy’s case against Besson, which was launched in the wake of the #MeToo movement, was later dropped.
Maïwenn has publicly said she did not embrace the #MeToo movement, and cast Depp to play King Louis XV – opposite herself as the former French monarch’s lover Jeanne du Barry – in the midst of his high-profile legal battle against Amber Heard, his ex-wife.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit their website. In an emergency, call 000.