Depardieu denies he quit 'sad France' for tax reasons
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BRUSSELS (AFP) - Calling France a "sad" place led by an uninspired government where people are "fed up", actor Gerard Depardieu dealt his former country a healthy dose of criticism Saturday, but denied he left for tax reasons.
In an interview with local Belgian television channel Notele filmed on Saturday and to be uploaded onto the site www.notele.be, the 63-year-old star of Cyrano de Bergerac and Green Card observed that the problem with France is "especially the lack of energy".
"France is sad and I think the French are fed up. The lack of conviction...It seems that the government doesn't know how to do its job."
About French President Francois Hollande, he said: "It's his first time, he never held a ministerial post. He just had the Correze, which is in deficit," referring to the central in-the-sticks region where Mr Hollande made his early political career.
