The French actor and film-maker Samuel Theis, known for his role in Oscar-tipped drama Anatomy of a Fall, has been accused of rape, according to reports.
Variety reported that Theis was removed from a film he was directing called Je Le Jure after a crew member claimed that he was sexually assaulted. In a report published by the French newspaper Liberation, the alleged incident took place this July after a party held at an apartment.
The unnamed crew member claims he stayed at the apartment as he was drunk and was raped in the morning. Theis has denied the claim, stating that any sexual activity was consensual.
The film’s producer Caroline Bonmarchand was informed of the incident and told Variety that she hired a third party to undertake a formal investigation. While this took place, Theis was taken off the set but continued to direct remotely.
“In the end, what we’re discovering is that no matter how many kits, white papers and resources we have, when it comes to actually dealing with this type of situation, we’re not equipped,” Bonmarchand said.
According to Screen Daily, a report in Telerama claims that the crew member left the production and lodged an official complaint with authorities. In a statement, Theis’s lawyer has said that her client has not been approached by police or charged with any crime.
“The only investigation on this case was ordered by the production and carried out by an independent organisation,” the statement reads. “It was delivered in September and it was 300 pages long – the conclusion is that there were no elements qualifying what happened of a sexual assault.”
Je Le Jure is a drama starring Marina Foïs and Louise Bourgoin about an alcoholic summoned for jury duty. It marks Theis’s third film as director.
Courtroom drama Anatomy of a Fall stars Theis as the husband of Sandra Hüller’s character on trial for his murder. It won the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes film festival and over the weekend won two major Golden Globes for best screenplay and best non-English language motion picture. During her two speeches, writer-director Justine Triet thanked most of the cast but didn’t mention Theis.
