Gerard Depardieu didn't just kill two lions, he also ate them
Just a day in the life of the French actor
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.In September, Gerard Depardieu alleged that he shot dead two lions in self-defence during a trip to Africa.
Now he casually claims that he did, in fact, eat them too. In an interview with The Independent Magazine, out tomorrow, interviewer Philip Sweener asks if there was a ‘banquette de lion’, following the killing of the animals.
“You ate them?” he asked.
“Yes,” responds Depardieu, before detailing again his account of what happened. “We broke down on a track in the bush, in Burkina Faso. The two lions waited in front of us and wouldn’t move. Hours passed, and we couldn’t get out of the car, the African driver was very afraid.
“We had no choice; we had to shoot them,” he concludes simply.
The French actor also discussed the 2011 incident when he was thrown off an Air France flight for urinating in the aisle while the plane prepared to take off.
“I have lots of friends in the UK. And in Ireland. Where incidentally I recently p****d in a plane,” he said. “There was this air hostess un peu depressive, and I urgently wanted a p**s. We’d been delayed 45 minutes, there were seven planes in front of us, and the hostess blocked me with her foot, so I p****d in a bottle.
“Luckily all the police at Dublin airport know me.”
In September, Depardieu said that he could drink up to 14 bottles of wine a day – a habit he does out of boredom, he claims.
“Anyway, I’m not going to die,” he said. “Not now. I still have energy. But if ever I start drinking… I can’t drink like a normal person. I can absorb 12, 13, 14 bottles…per day. But I’m never totally drunk, just a little p****d.
“All you need is a 10-minute nap and voilà, a slurp of rosé wine and I feel as fresh as a daisy! I have to admit that when I start counting, doctors start worrying.”
He failed to turn up to the UK premiere of the film at Edinburgh Festival on 28 June, after pictures emerged of him downing pints the night before in a pub in Skye.
Read the full interview Depardieu in tomorrow’s Independent Magazine.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments