Depardieu: 'Juliette Binoche is nothing'

Gerard Depardieu has hit out at Juliette Binoche, saying that he doesn't understand the appeal of the actress.

The 61-year-old star of Cyrano de Bergerac and Green Card said that Binoche has "nothing" to offer in comparison with French actresses Isabelle Adjan and Fanny Ardent.

"Please can you explain to me what the secret of this actress is meant to be? I would really like to know why she has been so esteemed for so many years. She has nothing. Absolutely nothing!" The Guardian quotes Depardieu as saying.

He continued: "She is nothing. Compared with her, Isabelle Adjani is great even if she's totally nuts. Or Fanny Ardant - she is magnificent, extremely impressive. But Binoche? What has she ever had going for her?"

Depardieu also criticised Binoche's collaboration with director Leos Carax on Les Amants du Pont Neuf.

"Carax needed six years to shoot his film with Binoche, which turned out not even to be a film but just a piece of s**t," he commented.

Binoche's latest film Certified Copy opens in the UK on September 3.