Actor Gerard Depardieu is denying a rape accusation by an actress a third his age, according to reports out Thursday.
The Paris prosecutors office said Thursday that it had opened a preliminary investigation into allegations of "rapes and sexual assaults" after the complaint was made Monday in southern Aix-en-Provence province, Agence France-Presse reported.
The 69-year-old is accused of raping the 22-year-old woman this month at one of his Paris residences, the BBC said, citing French radio. Her name has not been released. She's reportedly also an author and knew the actor before the alleged crimes took place.
"I regret the public nature of this process which poses a major prejudice to Gerard Depardieu, whose innocence I am convinced will be recognized," his lawyer, Herve Termime, told AFP.
Depardieu has more than 180 films to his credit, including "Green Card," "The Life of Pi" and "The Man in the Iron Mask."
