French actor Gerard Depardieu has been accused of attacking celebrity photographer Rino Barillari outside Harry’s Bar on the famed Via Veneto in Rome, CNN reports.
Depardieu was dining at an outdoor table with a female companion and two other people around 2 p.m. local time on Tuesday when Barillari – known as “the king” in Roman press circles – apparently snapped the diners, according to Italian media reports.
Exactly what happened next is a matter of dispute, though both sides say they have filed police reports known locally as denouncements, CNN said.
Barillari, age 79, said Depardieu’s partner Magda Vavrusova jumped up and started punching him before Depardieu joined the fight, according to Barillari’s lawyer, as cited in several Italian media outlets including the Messaggero newspaper where Barillari works.
Barillari often captures celebrities dining at the establishment, which is famous for appearing in the 1960 Federico Fellini film “La Dolce Vita” – whose photographer character Paparazzo is reputed to have inspired the term “paparazzi.”
Barillari was taken to hospital by ambulance, according to Lepore.
A spokesperson for Rome police said they are currently looking for surveillance footage from the area.
Depardieu’s run-in with Barillari comes after the Paris prosecutor’s office told CNN last month that the French actor – known for his roles in films like “Green Card,” “The Man in the Iron Mask” and “Life of Pi” – would face trial in October over allegations of sexual assault said to have taken place during the shooting of “Les Volets Verts” in 2021.
The actor is also being formally investigated on suspicion of rape and sexual assault allegedly committed in August 2018 against actress Charlotte Arnould, the prosecutor’s office said. The French actor has denied all the rape and sexual assault accusations.