French star Depardieu relieves himself in plane cabin
French film star Gerard Depardieu was caught short on a Paris to Dublin flight and relieved himself on the cabin floor in front of shocked passengers, a witness and the airline said today.
A friend of France's best-known movie actor disputed the account, claiming that the 62-year-old bon vivant had been trying to urinate discreetly into a bottle after a flight delay and was "mortified" to cause a spillage.
The plane taxied back to the terminal and Depardieu was escorted off the flight by ground crew without incident.
"I will only confirm that he, in effect, urinated in the plane," a Paris spokeswoman for Air France-KLM, parent company of CityJet, operator of the Tuesday flight from Charles de Gaulle that was delayed by the incident.
A passenger told Europe 1 radio Depardieu was visibly inebriated and tried to stand up before take-off, declaring: "I want to piss. I want to piss."
A stewardess asked the well-loved celebrity -- who was on his way to Ireland to play comic book warrior Asterix's huge sidekick Obelix in a film adaptation -- to wait 15 minutes until after the seat-belt lights were put out.
"And there and then he stood up and did it on the floor. We could see he had been drinking. The stewardess was dumbfounded," the witness said.
But friends of the "mortified" star, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said he had told them he was "absolutely not drunk" but had been caught short and forced to pee into a bottle as privately as possible.
They confirmed the witness' account that the stewardess had asked him to wait 15 minutes before the toilets would be opened, and said he had agreed, but added that the flight had then been delayed a further 20 minutes.
A flying companion, fellow actor Edouard Baer, had therefore offered him an empty bottle to ease his aching bladder.
When some urine spilled onto the floor, Depardieu was mortified and offered to clean it up himself, but the crew decided to turn round and taxi back to the terminal and have him escorted off the jet by ground crew, they explained.
"No charges were brought and no fine was imposed, and he had the impression that his position about the misunderstanding and the inflexible attitude of the stewardess had been understood by those he spoke to," one added.
The source added Depardieu had been able take the next flight to Dublin.
"The passenger refused to remain in his seat. It was the captain's decision it was best to return the plane to the stand," a CityJet spokeswoman said, adding the flight was delayed for one hour and 15 minutes.
She said the passenger did not appear to the crew to be drunk. Police were initially called, but he was escorted from the plane by ground crew.
While the spokeswoman attempted to be discreet, refusing to confirm the culprit's identity and speaking only of an "incident on board", her firm CityJet made fun of Depardieu on its public Twitter account.
"As you may have seen on the news, we are busy mopping the floor of one of our planes this morning," the company joked in one message on the popular microblogging site.
Later, it added: "We'd also like to remind all passengers that our planes are fully equipped with toilet facilities."
CityJet said the messages were meant to "poke fun" and "were done this morning in a humorous way. In no way do they reflect an official message."
Depardieu is perhaps the best known face in French cinema, having appeared in almost 200 films, and is best known abroad as the star of the 1990 literary epic "Cyrano de Bergerac" and the US romantic comedy "Green Card".
He is a successful winemaker and restaurateur but in 1990 was convicted of drunk driving. His behaviour has been criticised in the past, notably when he headbutted a press photographer, but he is still a well-loved public figure.
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Jankarl Farrugia
Aug 17th 2011, 16:42
Actually some years back, on an Airmalta flight, 2 famous snooker players on their way back home, where off loaded due to their behaviour and drunken state.... and they didnt urinate....
Mr C Cassar
Aug 17th 2011, 12:58
Anyone else (mot well known) would have been escorted off by the police and prosecuted. Why not this idiot? Just because he has money he can act like a pig in public?
Ms Maria Vella
Aug 17th 2011, 13:36
Erm...you are insulting the pig in reality
Raymond Sammut
Aug 17th 2011, 14:09
Are you joking? This took place on a Parisian airport strip. Thankfully, there are no police states or people like you in that part of the world.
The most he would get is a spot fine for "indecent" exposure --even if he tried to get away with it for being inebriated. And I doubt whether Mr Depardieu would be sued, after all the publicity and free marketing; much to the benefit for the airline business --unless of course some people are deprived of sense of humour. Just try and imagine if it were a dry plane -- the thing wouldn't even take off.
And for you to say that Gérard Depardieu is an "idiot", Mr Cassar. Or that he has "money". You seem to know quite a bit about the French gentleman.
He had a leak in the plane's cabin. So what. Have you never seen someone peeing? What's the matter with you? You sound like you have never watched a French movie starring Gérard Depardieu. They do far more than that in those French stories. Extremely educational -- French style.
Let's hope it has been caught on camera, and uploaded straight to YT.
One has to try and imagine what would the world be like without people like Gérard Depardieu. Truly a debilitating place --with all its pseudo-religions, corrupt-politicks, pretensions, lies, and deceits. Well done to Monsieur Depardieu.
riccardo borg
Aug 17th 2011, 18:48
WAIT UNTIL YOU GET OLD ENOUGH - IF EVER? - AND COMMENT THEN.
JJ Debono
Aug 17th 2011, 20:19
Some people need to relief themselves by visiting the loo more often during the day then other people, mainly the people suffering from hypertension and use specail medication prescribe by their GP. The once i know of are Bendroflumenthiazide and perhaps Hydralazine HCI bP mainly to urinate more often to get rid of all the extra salt* from the body, thus (hoping to lower blood pressure. please correct me if i am wrong, but i know for a fact that one of my relatives is on these very tablets, and ofsourse if one is caught short and has a bladder full of water, its not a nice feeling and could damage the kidneys.
Rebecca Johansen
Aug 17th 2011, 23:21
I agree with Mr Sammut. Furthermore, I will add that toilet access is restricted on airlines before take off and landings - when you need to take a pee, 15 minutes can be a lifetime - and if another 20 minutes is added to the wait because of the AIRLINE DELAY - accidents will happen. Depardieu is a remarkable man and an extraordinary gentleman, the most honest actor and man I have met in 20 years in the entertainment industry, and if anyone is crazy enough to even think that the mind or even the greatest willpower can control a full bladder - NUTS. The AIRLINES should provide alternatives (they DO have barf bags!!!) when they restrain passengers from using a toilet. Personally, I would not be able to "control" my bladder for more than 10 minutes - with the best of will, and I believe Depardieu and his fellow passenger.
What next? Are the airlines going to wake up and provide an emergency relief alternative in the event of the MANY DELAYS THEY INCUR - or are they going to refuse passengers who cannot hold their bladder for longer than 15 minutes?
Christina Pace
Aug 18th 2011, 12:25
prosecuted for having the decency to try do it in a botle as opposed to just doing it in his pants? are you nuts. In geriatric homes an action like his would be seen as being considerate.
you really expect a 62 year old man to wait 35 minutes if he really needs to go? Man i can't wait 35 minutes and I am 28. Its bad for one's health to hold for that long anyways. i have been in his position at that same airport. The flight was delayed for 5 hours when we had already boarded. It was delayed a further 5 mins because I left to go to the bathroom.
Raymond Sammut
Aug 17th 2011, 12:05
One can also see Gérard Depardieu side-by-side with Vin Diesel in Babylon; which is quite recent. There he gets caught short with human smugglers inside a Russian tank somewhere in the Ukraine. Although in his white pyjamas, and relieves himself in many ways, he doesn't quite "leak". He obviously leaves that sort of thing for real life situations, and when very far away from Babylon and Mr Diesel.
Please choose the reason of your report below: