Director Jacques Doillon, caught in the storm
“That Judith Godrèche and other women through her are keen to denounce a system, an era, a society, is courageous, laudable and necessary. But the justness of the cause does not authorize arbitrary denunciations, false accusations and lies,” explains this proclaimed heir of the New Wave.
Invited Thursday on France Inter, Judith Godrèche, 51, blamed the 79-year-old filmmaker. The behavior of Jacques Doillon is also denounced by the actresses Isild Le Besco and Anna Mouglalis, who entrusted their testimonies to Le Monde.
Judith Godrèche notably recounted an intimate scene with him, in the presence of Jane Birkin, who was then the director’s companion. “All of a sudden, [Doillon] decides there’s a love scene, a sex scene between him and me,” she said. “I take off my sweater, I’m shirtless, he gropes me, makes out with me,” she added. Asked whether Mr. Doillon had “abused” her, the actress acquiesced.
Preliminary investigation underway
In his response Friday, the filmmaker states that “this scene is in the original script.” “It’s scene 79 where it says in particular: “Distraught, excited, they make love.” Judith Godrèche obviously read and reread the script since she even claimed to have written it,” he adds.
Concerning the replacement of the actor planned for this filming, mentioned by Judith Godrèche, he confirms having “ended his commitment at the end of the first week of filming due to insufficiently understood texts and problems of rhythm which did not fit to that of adolescents.” According to him, it was on the initiative of his producer that he decided to reprise the role, under penalty of seeing the filming stop. A preliminary investigation was opened on Wednesday by the Paris prosecutor’s office, into the alleged actions of Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon denounced by Judith Godrèche.
“I am carefully watching this upheaval, not to say this revolution, initiated and carried by women whose voice has been freed for several years now. (…) However, I never committed the acts with which I am accused and I will bring to justice, since it is now seized, all the factual elements at my disposal to demonstrate my innocence,” assures Mr. Doillon.