Gerard Depardieu says he drinks 14 bottles of wine a day

65-year-old French actor Gerard Depardieu, who is now a Russian citizen, and has been cast in a Russian film, is the complete opposite of a teetotaler. Even most heavy drinkers would probably raise an eyebrow at how much alcohol he claims to consume.

Just last year the actor was pretty open about his drinking, but in a recent interview with So Film he detailed exactly how much he imbibes. He had a heart bypass surgery in 2009, which doesn’t seem to slow him down.

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

He relates that his doctor was worried about his drinking and asked him describe exactly how much he drinks. According to Depardieu, he starts his drinking at home with Champagne and red wine “before 10am”.

“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,” he said.

Despite this constant flow of booze, he says he’s “never totally drunk, just a little pissed. All you need is a 10-minute nap and voila, a slurp of rose wine and I feel as fresh as a daisy.”

“What I like in being drunk is the moment when you’re alive and enthusiastic. Full stop. But when you have been there 10, 15, 20 times, 30 times, then you start losing track. There’s more to life than being drunk,” he said. He even makes his own wine and is thinking about developing a “bio vodka” made from spring water.

The actor also mentioned during the interview that he “killed two lions once, and I understand why the lion is the king of the jungle. In legitimate self-defense. 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.”