French actor pulls no punches in Paris road incident

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Published time: August 19, 2012 18:50
Edited time: August 19, 2012 22:50

French actor Gerard Depardieu has found himself in the spotlight – but not on the red carpet, this time. The 63-year-old star has been accused of punching a driver in the face during a road rage incident in Paris.

Depardieu allegedly slugged the man earlier this week after he swerved his car in the path of Depardieu's scooter.

However, the driver claims the film star was actually the one at fault.

According to the Telegraph, the man filed a complaint with local police, claiming Depardieu blocked the road with his scooter before punching him in the face and driving away.

Depardieu admitted to RTL radio that his reaction may have been a little extreme.

"My reaction was a bit over the top but I was very, very scared. That's it. Full stop. That's all there is to it. It was as stupid as that,” Depardieu said.

Paris police have not yet decided whether to follow up on the driver’s complaint, which the actor claims has only been filed because of his celebrity status.

"There are people who see me and immediately file a complaint. It's the price of celebrity, as the idiots would say," he stated.

It’s not the first time Depardieu’s temper has landed him in hot water.

In 2005, he head-butted a photographer taking pictures of him at a market in Florence, Italy.

And today coincidentally marks the one-year anniversary of the day Depardieu urinated into a bottle during an Air France flight, after being denied access to the toilet during takeoff.

He later publicly apologized for any inconvenience caused to airline staff or his fellow passengers on the Dublin-bound flight.