Actor Gerard Depardieu accused of punching the ‘king of paparazzi’
An Italian photographer known as the “king of paparazzi” has accused French film star Gerard Depardieu of punching him three times in the face.
Depardieu reportedly struck Rino Barillari after he took pictures of the actor dining with his partner, producer Magda Vavrusova, in a bar in Rome’s iconic Via Veneto neighbourhood.
But Ms Vavrusova has told police Depardieu only intervened to protect her from Mr Barillari’s “aggressive methods”.
“The photographer pushed me and touched my bust and chest with his arm,” she said in a statement released by the couple’s lawyer on Tuesday night.
“I’m still hurting. It was extremely violent.”
Delphine Meillet, the laywer, said the photographer had continued following the couple, “bludgeoning them with camera clicks” even as they tried to flee the bar.
“This photographer, who is not in his first altercation, claims close to 170 trips to emergency for fights with celebrities who refuse to be photographed,” Ms Meillet said.
One witness said he had not seen such altercations between a celebrity and the media since Via Veneto’s heyday when it would draw the world’s biggest stars and was considered the epicentre of ‘la dolce vita’ scene.
Piero Lepore, the manager of Harry’s Bar, said Depardieu was inside when Mr Barillari began taking photos of him.
“Depardieu said nothing, he just walloped Rino a couple of times,” said Mr Lepore.
“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.”
Mr Barillari told SkyTG24 television, however, that Depardieu had said “merde” – French for excrement – to him before the alleged attack. He said Ms Vavrusova had also thrown ice cubes.
“From a concealed position I was photographing Depardieu with a gorgeous girl,” the photographer said.
“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.”
Via Veneto is one of Rome’s most iconic neighbourhoods where stars of the post-war period like Audrey Hepburn, Gary Cooper and Orson Welles dressed smartly and drank dry martinis. The press would flock to the capital’s bars and restaurants.
Mr Lepore said he thought feisty altercations between journalists and actors had ended long ago.
“It feels now that we’ve gone back in time,” Mr Lepore said.
Mr Barillari was reportedly taken to hospital after the alleged assault, while police reviewed CCTV footage from the bar.
He said: “If he wanted privacy, he shouldn’t have come to Via Veneto.”
The alleged punch up comes amid an already difficult year for Depardieu. He will be tried in October for the alleged sexual assault of two women.
Depardieu, 75, who has made more than 200 films and television series, has denied any wrongdoing.
In December, Ms Vavrusova issued a statement in defence of her “unique” and “extraordinary” partner of six years, whom she said could also be “provocative, vulgar and excessive”.
