Hollywood actor Gérard Depardieu accused of punching photographer in ‘extremely violent’ scuffle-Laura Harman-Entertainment – Metro

Gérard Depardieu has been accused of punching a photographer several times (Picture: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Gérard Depardieu has been accused of hitting Italian paparazzi photographer Rino Barillari in an ‘extremely violent’ altercation. 

Depardieu, 75, was in Rome on Tuesday when he allegedly punched Barillari, 79, known as ‘The King of Paparazzi’. 

The French actor who is best known for The Man in the Iron Mask and The Woman Next Door, has claimed that he was defending his female companion, his partner, producer Magda Vavrusova, who he was dining with at Harry’s Bar on the Via Veneto. 

It’s alleged that Barillari approached the couple and took ‘aggressive methods’ including pushing and touching Vavrusova while taking photos of them.

‘The photographer pushed me and touched my bust and chest with his arm,’ Vavrusova said in a statement released by the couple’s lawyer on Tuesday night.

‘I’m still hurting. It was extremely violent.’

The exterior of Harry’s Bar Via Veneto dolce vita (Picture: Francesco Benvenuti/LaPresse/Shu)

Barillari told Italian Newspaper, Il Messaggero: ‘From a concealed position I was photographing Depardieu with a gorgeous girl.’

‘She spotted me and chucked some cubes of ice. That’s pretty normal. But I never expected what happened next. He came up to me saying “merde”. 

‘I smiled and stepped back a bit. But he came towards me. Mamma mia he’s really big! He punched me three times in the face.

He then added that he was going to report the incident to the police. ‘First I’m going to hospital, then I’m going to deal with him. I’m going to file a complaint to the police.’

Rino Barillari seen in Rome (Picture: Radogna/Giacomino/Zuma Press/eyevine)

Piero Lepore, the manager of Harry’s Bar said: ‘Depardieu said nothing, he just walloped Rino a couple of times.’

‘Then he got into a car and went away. We’re used to seeing famous people but we are no longer used to seeing a punch up like this.’

Gianni Riotta, a columnist for the newspaper La Repubblica was in the restaurant having a coffee and told The New York Times about the incident.

She recalled the actor attacked the photographer ‘and hit him, hit him, hit him.’ She added: ‘There was a lot of blood.’

Gérard Depardieu in Welcome To New York (Picture: Bellandonna Prods/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

Barillari has had a long career and is considered a legendary photographer still working as he approaches his seventies. 

Depardieu is currently involved in a sexual assault case. He denies the two sexual assault charges he is facing from two different women and is set to go on trial in October.

The assault charges allegedly took place during the filming of the film Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) which was filmed in 2021 and released in 2022.

Metro.co.uk has reached out to Depardieu for comment.

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