The beautiful actress on the cover of the conservative magazine Causeur, directed by Elisabeth Lévy, describes the #MeToo movement in cinema as a "festival of idiots". In the pages, Fanny Ardant defends Roman Polanski, accused of sexual violence by several women. Alongside philosopher Sabine Prokhoris, author of a book in defense of the director, she criticizes some women who claim to be victims of sexual violence and is not shy about passing judgments.
On Twitter, the magazine’s cover is already causing a heated controversy. Fanny Ardant, whose father was the governor of the palace of the principality of Monaco, is currently starring in Roman Polanski’s new film, The Palace. She, who has already sparked controversies and debates following her statements about the Red Brigades or Vladimir Putin, declares: "I never wanted to be a victim."
The actress, director, screenwriter, and even stage director who is close to Gérard Depardieu seems to ignore that being a victim is not a choice, but an imposed reality. Victims of all types of violence bear the weight of the assaults alone, while society often minimizes their suffering.
More than six years after #MeToo, Ardant, mother of three daughters by different fathers, continues to criticize the movement she calls "McCarthyism". She even mocks the tears of her colleague Juliette Binoche at Cannes. For Ardant, being a "powerful woman" does not mean "whining". The controversy is far from over.