French actor-director Samuel Theis, best known for starring in Justine Triet's 'Anatomy of a Fall', has been accused of rape by a crew member of his new film. Variety confirmed the accusations, noting that the alleged assault took place while production was ongoing for Theis' third film, 'Je te jure'. Owing to the allegation, Theis was removed from the film. He remained on location for the entirety of production but directed the film remotely away from the cast and crew.
According to the French newspaper Liberation, the incident allegedly took place in July, following a party held at an apartment with the cast and crew of the film. The alleged victim said that he stayed at the apartment as he was drunk. He also claimed that he was too inebriated to consent and alleged to have been raped by Theis in the early hours of the morning. However, the actor has insisted that the encounter was consensual.
The newspaper further reported that the crew member quit the production immediately after the alleged assault. He has since filed an official police complaint, according to French outlet Télérama. Meanwhile, the film's producer Caroline Bonmarchand hired a third party to undertake a formal investigation after she was informed of the incident.
However, Theis' lawyer said in a statement that neither she nor her client was aware of any police report or ongoing investigation.
''The only investigation on this case was ordered by the production and carried out by an independent organization. It was delivered in September and it was 300 pages long — the conclusion is that there were no elements qualifying what happened of a sexual assault,'' Marie Dose said in a statement.
Meanwhile at the Golden Globes 2024, the French psychological thriller 'Anatomy of a Fall' won two awards. The film claimed the prestigious titles of Best Picture in the Non-English Language category and Best Screenplay (Motion Picture). The movie is about a tense courtroom drama about a writer accused of her husband's murder.
