French actor Edouard Baer, known for playing Asterix on screen, became the latest star to feel the impact of sexual assault allegations as his live show in Paris was cancelled on Thursday.
Baer, who played the iconic Gaul in 2012 blockbuster “Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia” alongside Gerard Depardieu, was accused by six women of harassment and sexual assault in a joint article by online news site Mediapart and feminist website Cheek last week.
Multiple accusations against Depardieu — which the 75-year-old screen icon denies — have helped sparked a fresh wave of #MeToo accusations in France in recent months.
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Baer, who also starred as artist Salvador Dali in last year’s film “Daaaaaali!”, was due to play some 15 dates of a live show at the Antoine Theatre in Paris in June.
The theatre announced the cancellation, but did not respond to requests for an explanation.
Baer was accused of harassment and assault against six women in their twenties between 2013 and 2021 at his office and during theatre productions and radio appearances.
“I do not recognise myself in the words or gestures attributed to me, but I can only express my regret that my behaviour made these women uncomfortable or hurt. I didn’t have the intelligence to perceive it,” Baer said in a statement to Mediapart and Cheek.
France’s parliament this week held special hearings into sexual harassment in the film industry.
On Thursday, casting directors called on lawmakers to ban nudity during auditions — one of several proposals for a new law aimed at preventing abuse.
A key figure in the recent debate is actor Judith Godreche, who accused two directors of assaulting her when she was a minor in the 1980s.
Another actor, Isild Le Besco, announced Wednesday that she had filed a legal complaint for rape against one of the same directors, Benoit Jacquot.
Jacquot has denied allegations against him.
AFP