He should be permanently banned from entering the country until he pays all taxes he's avoided by leading it. That's the sensible solution to this sort of problem.
Is that guy actually wearing a necktie with a flannel shirt? And they say straight men have a bad sense of fashion!
Anyway, you may be on to something. If his artistry is of value, in the real sense, and he cannot exploit it without entering French production studios, then his income diminishes to the point at which the returns from future roles outweigh the taxes.
Then again, it may be a philosophical matter with him and he'd sooner forego the income than pay the taxes that he considers unfair. In that case it's the society's loss. It's a gamble. If the French are as spineless as every Yankee thinks they are, then they'll make the safe bet.
Does France really want to institute a 21st century version of the Berlin Wall?
Now that Depardieu is now officially Russian, the French government can simply not issue a visa on the grounds of, say, public safety, or something.
