French director Maïwenn Le Besco, the creative behind -starring film , has reportedly admitted to assaulting a leading French journalist.
Known mononymously as Maïwenn, the director, 47, allegedly had a complaint filed against her for assault by Edwy Plenel, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Mediapart, according to reports.
French news outlets reported in April that a woman approached Plenel while he was with his lawyer in a Paris restaurant.
The woman, who restaurant staff allegedly identified as Maïwenn to Plenel, was said to have pulled back his head by his hair and then spat in his face.
Speaking in a live TV interview on Quotidien promoting Jeanne Du Barry, Maïwenn spoke about the allegations, seemingly confirming her involvement.
‘Can you confirm? Can you say more?’ presenter Yann Barthès reportedly asked the director, to which Maïwenn allegedly replied: ‘Can I confirm that I assaulted him, or that I received a complaint?’
When Barthès elaborated that he meant both, Maïwenn said she ‘didn’t receive a complaint. I learned about it in the press.’
Barthès then asked if she assaulted Plental, to which she responded ‘yes.’
She refrained from explaining why, continuing: ‘Nice try, but it’s not the moment for me to talk about it. I’ll talk about it when it’s the right moment. I am very anxious about the launch of my film.’
Jeanne du Barry is a semi-autobiographical film inspired by the life of Louis XV’s last royal mistress at the Court of Versailles, named Jeanne du Barry.
Pirates of the Caribbean star Depp will star as Louis XV, while Maïwenn herself will appear as Jeanne. It will be his first film since his libel trial against ex-wife Amber Heard took place last summer.
The film is set to have its world premiere as the opening film at this year’s Cannes Film Festival on May 16.
Metro.co.uk has reached out to representatives for Maïwenn for comment.
