Gerard Depardieu Drinks 14 Bottles of Wine a Day, Kills Lions, Is Generally Better Than You

Gerard Depardieu has finally revealed the secret to his multi-decade success, and it involves wine. Which you may have guessed, seeing as he’s French and all. But no. This is not a French amount of wine. This is a weekend-bender with Bacchus amount of wine.

When I’m bored, I drink. Apart from compulsory moments of abstinence. After bypass surgery, and also because of cholesterol and stuff, I have to be careful.

Anyway, I’m not going to die. Not now. I still have energy.

But if ever I start drinking I can’t drink like a normal person. I can absorb 12, 13, 14 bottles per day.

[Before an operation] I was asked to tell the doctor about my consumption. So I said, ‘here it goes’.

It starts at home with champagne or red wine, before 10am. Then again champagne.

Then pastis, maybe half a bottle. Then food, accompanied by two bottles of wine. In the afternoon, champagne, beer, and more pastis at around 5pm, to finish off the bottle. Later on vodka and/or whisky.

But I’m never totally drunk, just a little p****d. All you need is a 10-minute nap and voila, a slurp of rose wine and I feel as fresh as a daisy.

He drinks more wine to sober up. I tried that method back in college. I don’t remember it working so well. Continuing with the Depardieu Is No Mortal Man theme of this interview, he also revealed that he has killed lions. Two of them. In self-defense.

I killed two lions once, and I understand why the lion is the king of the jungle. In legitimate self-defence.

Imagine you’re driving and your engine breaks down.

You got out, and in your way are these animals. So you shoot, just to scare them. They don’t move. I wasn’t there for hunting. I was in Africa for Africa.

He “was in Africa for Africa”? I have no idea what that means but I do know that Gerard Derpardieu is 100% fantastically crazypants.

From The Mirror via Uproxx.