"I feel very Russian, even abroad. How can you not feel more Russian than French with the President we have in France? To me, there's no comparison," the famous actor said during a press conference at the Berlin International Film Festival, as cited by Le Journal du Dimanche.
At the same time, Depardieu said he respects Russian President Vladimir Putin for "what he [Putin] did for Russian people," the newspaper said.
Three years ago, Depardieu was given a Russian passport by Putin, after he publically disagreed with the French government over its plans to raise taxes unreasonably high on millionaires.
Depardieu became a huge international star at young age, and featured in such films as "The Man in the Iron Mask," "Les Misérables," and "Green Card," in which, some 15 years ago, he played a French man desperate for American citizenship.
