Where in the World is Gérard Depardieu?

He’s hard to miss these days, and in more ways than one. Gérard Depardieu -arguably France’s best known and least skinny film star- is filling an annoyingly long list of headlines after heading to Belgium in self-imposed tax exile.

 

Depardieu does not seem interested in losing weight these days, but he does seem worried about all the friends he stands to shed by leaving France and renouncing his French passport. To make up for that deficit, he has embarked on a world tour aimed at finding new chums.

 

First stop, Russia, where he has showered President Vladimir Putin with praise for Russian “intelligence and culture”, which the French actor confessed he “loves”. He did not say whether he “loved” election fraud and political repression, but he did seem awfully pleased with his new Russian passport, prepared and handed to him for the occasion.

 

Next rendezvous: the Republic of Mordovia, where sadly there was not a passport en attente. Instead, his hosts presented him with the Ministry of Culture and a house, in a move that stands out as a particularly gracious and fair gesture by a state best known for its Soviet-era prisons.

 

 

 

 

The mammoth of French cinema is no stranger to the region. He has been handsomely rewarded for recently entertaining Uzbek President Islam Karimov, head of one of the most repressive regimes in the world, and singing a duet with Karimov’s singer-businesswoman daughter who goes by the name “Googoosha”.

 

He then popped up in Switzerland to FIFA's annual Ballon d'Or ceremony, but then went AWOL, failing to show up to court in Paris where he was facing drunk driving charges.

 

Now France eagerly awaits to see where Depardieu will surface next. In an exclusive, the Fuss in France has learned the next two destinations on Depardieu's magical autocrat tour:

 

Sunny Sudan, where he will be sworn in as Governor of Darfur and get his own oil pipeline, and thriving North Korea, where he will soon serve as supreme commander of the navy and receive an only slightly used satellite-cum-ballistic-missile.

 

The truth is we don’t really know where Depardieu is heading next. Your guess is as good as ours, and we encourage you to play “Where in the World is Gérard Depardieu?” in the comments section below.

 

The hugs, the passport, the gifts, he has earned them. Just like the millions of euros won for donning nipple-high Gallic pants in the Asterix movie series -- euros that the French taxman will never touch.

 

His new, highly respectable friends, Depardieu deserves them too.

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15 Comments
The question is: Where was Gérard Depardieu before being an actor? or Where would he be without the money he earned thanks to the French movie business? Then, we can wonder why he should refuse to pay taxes on his huge fortune to the country which has treated him so well so far? Paying taxes is part of the democracy game, the richer you are, the more you pay. Anything wrong with this? I don't think so, do you? Besides, calling Putin the gretest democrat ever is a bit too much, isn't it? But now if he wants to live in Siberia, I don't give a damn!
Gerard is France's Alec Baldwin -- or should we reverse that? Alec as America's Gerard? It is an odd thing about human nature. We want to keep what is ours. And then there are the predators who want to steal what is ours. I don't blame Gerard one whit. He earned his money, and there is no reason why he should allow predators to steal it under the rubric of "democracy". If we had a truly global democracy, there would be no such thing as Israel, or indeed Hollywood, since the numbers favor the East and the South. Be careful what you wish for.
This is all temporary until France reforms its tax code, but "temporary" may be several years.
poor s-o-b - out of control - and i cannot look at his art/films...spoiled child - ..no more... ...for the people/not rich..art for life/not for self-aggrandizement...and buizzz...out of IT..forever!
My sources tell me he's headed to Andorra where he'll receive his own zip code.
All Frenchmen of character should be proud of Depardieu. This characterization of him as somehow "evil" is a typical smear job by foolish columnists. Depardieu is a national treasure.
Next Dépardieu will show up in Italy to help Silvio Berlusconi get back into power and in return he will take home a section of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel :D
Happily being ridiculous doesn't kill, otherwise Gerard would be dead already.
I think "Khagaraj" is on the wrong page ! This is a light hearted article not American bashing.
I think the question should be does anyone care where he is?
bien fait Gerard !!!
Bravo Gerard
It is a resounding slap in the face for the Americans led by Obama.They still hang on to the cold war era image of Russia.One reporter recently called Putin routinely as a loathsome monster !
I think he has made a very smart career move.
My wife is a long-time Francophile from the US. Just wondering if the French govt would consider donating GD's no-longer-needed citizenship to her?

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