French theatre star accused of beating up vlogger

An actor from France’s most prestigious theatre company, the Comedie Francaise, has been accused of assaulting and threatening to kill a vlogger, the theatre confirmed Tuesday. “La Comedie Francaise is hugely shocked to discover the intolerable violence one of its staff has been accused of,” the theatre tweeted. “We condemn this in the strongest terms and will take all necessary measures,” it added, without naming the man. There are some 30 male actors in the Comedie Francaise company, including some of France’s most loved stars. Vlogger Marie Coquille-Chambel, who posts about plays on her YouTube channel, said she was beaten up three times by the actor, who also threatened to kill her.

The young woman described the beatings in a Facebook post and a series of tweets without naming the actor. “I was beaten... with punches to the face, the ribs and I was hit on the back when I was on the ground. I was hit with books and shoes,” she said. “He pulled my hair and threw me to the ground in his apartment. He tried to strangle me and left marks on my neck,” Coquille-Chambel added, who also posted photos of bruises and a cut lip. She said she had audio recordings of the actor threatening to kill her.

Coquille-Chambel appealed to other women who may have been victims of the actor to come forward and to “break the silence” of abuse in the theatre. “I know that he had a reputation as a dangerous guy. So if there are other victims who should be heard, please contact me,” she said. “I do not want anyone else to suffer, no matter how famous and influential he is,” CoquilleChambel said. The vlogger said she had gone to the police and was returning to see them Tuesday to add to the complaint she has filed.