Alain Delon says he is ‘irreproachable’ as an actor
France’s Alain Delon, set to receive an honorary prize yesterday at Cannes that has sparked scrutiny of his views on women and same-sex couples, said in a newspaper interview that as an actor at least, he was beyond reproach.
“People can say what they want, I’m used to it. But there’s nothing to be said about my career. It’s irreproachable,” Delon, 83, was quoted as saying in the Journal Du Dimanche (JDD).
One of Europe’s most acclaimed actors for more than five decades and particularly admired in his native France, Delon has starred in films including Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard, which won the top prize at Cannes’ cinema showcase in 1963.
But he has also inflamed public
opinion over the years, including by declaring his friendship for far-right politician French JeanMarie Le Pen and has admitted to slapping women.
Delon stood by some of his views in the interview and said other comments attributed to him had been distorted.
“I’m not against gay marriage, I don’t care: people should do as they please,” he told the JDD. “But I’m against adoption by two people of the same sex.”
“I said I’d slapped a woman? Yes. And I should have added that I’ve received more slaps than I’ve ever given. I’ve never harassed a woman in my life. They, however, harassed me a lot.”
Delon said he was “right-wing, full stop”, but not a supporter of the far-right.
In the wake of “#MeToo” movement to demand greater respect and representation for women, which erupted following a wave of sexual harassment scandals that rocked the movie industry, the Cannes prize has prompted criticism.
Melissa Silverstein, the founder of women’s advocate group Women and Hollywood, called out the Cannes festival for honouring “these abhorrent values” with Delon’s prize.
An online petition launched from the US decrying the award had by the weekend reached just over 25,500 signatories.
“The festival has really tried to make great strides with their organisation and ... this year they doubled the number of women in competition,” said Rhona Richford, a Hollywood Reporter journalist based in France. “And so I think that doing that on one hand and turning around and giving this just shows an error in judgment.”
Cannes festival organisers defended their choice, saying that Delon was “not perfect” but was being recognised for his acting career.
The ceremony took place yesterday.
“We’re not giving him the Nobel Peace Prize,” festival director Thierry Fremaux told a news conference earlier in the week.
Some fellow actors also came to Delon’s defence.
“What Alain Delon says is his own business, whether we agree with him or not,” said French actress Virginie Ledoyen, who is president of the jury handing out Cannes’ “Queer Palm” award for LGBT-relevant films this year. “He’s a magnificent actor who really shaped cinema.”