Actor Thierry Samitier was taken into custody in Paris on Tuesday morning, revealed 20 Minutes. Information confirmed by Le Parisien. The 59-year-old actor, known for his role as Aymeric Dubernet-Carton in the series "Nos Chers Voisins" (TF1) and his participation in "Dance with the stars" in 2015, is accused of harassment and sexual assault. An actress with whom he co-starred in the play "Boeing Boeing", performed in Paris between 2018 and 2019, filed a complaint against him in April 2022.
In 2019 already, in an article in Mediapart, two of the four actresses of the cast had denounced the behavior of the popular actor, who had become known to the general public in 1999 in the show "Nulle Part Ailleurs" (Canal +). They had accused him of sticking to them, his sex in contact with their buttocks and trying to kiss them off stage. They also said they were "afraid" of him.
"Stuck between him and the mirror of the dressing room"
The actress who filed the complaint last year says the alleged facts took place during rehearsals for the play "Boeing Boeing", but also during performances. She describes in particular an assault that occurred in the dressing rooms of the theater, at a time when the actress was removing her makeup. "I felt him stick his sex against my buttocks," she told investigators, reports 20 Minutes. "I was stuck between him and the mirror in the dressing room." She claims to have managed to push him away with her right arm.
A few days later, Thierry Samitier would have tried to kiss her by force on the mouth after pinning her against the wall, adds the daily. The actress also assured investigators that she had been a victim of harassment by the actor. "He would block me in the corridors and say, 'Why are you afraid of me? I took it as bullying. I was afraid of him," she said.
The actress ended up talking about it around her and learned that another woman in the troupe was complaining about similar behavior. The play was then stopped.
In 2019, Thierry Samitier's lawyer told Le Parisien that his client disputed "all inappropriate gestures with criminal connotations towards women".
