Anatomy of a Fall actor Samuel Theis has been accused of rape by a crew member on Theis’ third directorial outing, forcing him to be removed from the set.
Variety confirmed the accusations, noting that the alleged assault took place while production was ongoing for Theis’ third film, Je te jure. Theis remained on location for the entirety of production, but directed the film remotely away from the cast and crew.
According to a report from French newspaper Liberation, the incident allegedly took place in July, following a party held at an apartment with the cast and crew of the film. A crew member spent the night in the flat, where he claims that Theis assaulted him in the early morning. Theis maintains that the encounter was consensual.
Theis was removed from on-set activities following accusations
After the incident, the crew member left the shoot, and when producer Caroline Bonmarchand learned of the incident, she quickly hired a third-party organization to investigate the matter. As the investigation was ongoing, Bonmarchand and others decided to separate Theis from the film, having him direct from a remote room and only speaking to actors when necessary. Communication with the crew was kept to on-monitor talks.
According to another report from Telerama magazine, the crew member has since filed a police complaint, although Theis’ attorney Marie Dosé says she hasn’t been notified of anything like that.
“The only investigation on this case was ordered by the production and carried out by an independent organization. It was delivered in September and it was 300 pages long — the conclusion is that there were no elements qualifying what happened of a sexual assault,” Dosé said in a statement. She added that the report included a witness who had entered the bedroom Theis and the accuser were in and described it as a “tender moment.”
