Depardieu wants to surrender French passport

PARIS (AP) — Gerard Depardieu, one of France’s best-known actors, has chastised his country’s Socialist prime minister for insulting remarks over his decision to move to tax-friendly Belgium and said in an open letter published Sunday that he’s turning in his passport.

The letter, which the weekly Le Journal du Dimanche said was penned by Depardieu, quickly propelled him into the spotlight, not for his acclaimed acting skills but for raising the sensitive issue of tax exiles as France looks to fill state coffers with a stiff tax on the rich.