Anatomy Of A Fall was able to snag itself some Golden Globes during this year’s annual ceremony. Despite the success, however, comes controversy for one of the film’s actors, Samuel Theis.
Theis portrayed the husband of the main character in Anatomy Of A Fall, and he has several directing credits to his name, including an ongoing project, Je te jure. However, Theis was accused of alleged rape halfway through shooting by an unnamed crew member and allegedly spent the remainder of the production directing it remotely.
As Variety reports, the alleged assault happened after a cast and crew party on July 1st of last year. The crew member in question allegedly spent the night where the party was held, too inebriated to leave. They alleged that in the earlier hours of the morning was when Theis raped them. The crew member allegedly departed production shortly after.
Since then, as Liberation reports, Theis argued that the encounter was consensual.
Following the allegations, Caroline Bonmarchand had arranged for an investigation among the cast and crew to be conducted and simultaneously arranged meetings to find some sort of a solution.
Eventually, the alleged conclusion was reached that the best course of action was to have Theis come in before the crew, work out what was to be done for the day, and how it was to be done and to conduct the rest of the day remotely. Theis would remain on the premises and carry out the directing through monitors and was still available to help the actors if necessary. There was also access to a psychologist on set if any of the crew needed it.
“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,” Theis’ attorney, Marie Dosé, had to say. The report included that there was a witness who entered the room with Theis and the accuser and called it a “tender moment.”
Theis’s attorney also hasn’t been contacted about any ongoing investigation, or of a police complaint that was said to have been filed per Telerama magazine.