The French actor-director maintains encounter was consensual, was ordered to direct the rest of the film remotely
Samuel Theis on August 26, 2021 in Angouleme, France.” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/a9sgJUymdvvieBRMHfZEEg–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYzOQ–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/people_218/853941629eaccfb3659c1cca679aafed” class=”caas-img”>
Stephane Cardinale/getty
Samuel Theis on August 26, 2021 in Angouleme, France.
French actor-director Samuel Theis has been accused of rape by a crew member on his latest directorial project, Je Te Jure (translation: I Swear).
He is best known for his role as Samuel Maleski in the recent Golden Globe-winning film Anatomy of a Fall.
Variety reports that the French newspaper Libération reported on Friday that the alleged assault took place at a party where production rented an apartment on July 1, 2023.
The Je Te Jure crew member alleges that he was too inebriated to consent to a sexual encounter with Theis. The crew member alleges that he spent the night in the rented apartment and alleges the following morning he was raped by Theis. Per Variety’s reports, Theis said their encounter was consensual.
Theis’ attorney, Marie Dosé, told Variety she hasn’t been contacted about an ongoing investigation and isn’t aware of an official complaint.
“The only investigation on this case was ordered by the production and carried out by an independent organization. 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,” Dosé told Variety. She also shared that a witness alleges Theis and the accuser were in a “tender moment.”
Samuel Theis in "Anatomy of a Fall"” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/J5k21BFfGBBIk..eBjrHIQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU1MQ–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/people_218/ae224fb5ee261dec35d719c772632cda” class=”caas-img”>
Neon / Courtesy Everett Collection
Samuel Theis in “Anatomy of a Fall”
Following the interaction, the crew member immediately quit the production, according to Screen Daily, per Telerama. The sudden departure then led the film’s Avenue B Productions to monitor the remainder of the production. Avenue B Productions producer Caroline Bonmarchand told Variety the company then recruited an outside organization to conduct an internal investigation within the cast and crew.
Bonmarchand and her team met with crew members and cast members and chose to proceed with the final weeks of the production, per Variety. The production continued with the presumption of Theis’ innocence until proven guilty. However, Theis was instructed he would need to complete the project remotely and not have any contact with the cast or crew.
He directed the production with the use of monitors and those who wanted to see Theis were permitted to do so, per IndieWire.
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Je Te Jure is Theis’ third directorial project and stars French actors Marina Foïs and Louise Bourgoin.
Theis starred in Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall as the husband of Sandra Hüller’s character, who went on trial for his murder. On Sunday, the film won the Golden Globes for best screenplay and best non-English language motion picture.
Representatives for Theis and Avenue B did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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