At 68, Gérard Depardieu is one of the most prolific film actors in cinematic history. He's appeared in nearly 200 films, which, considering he underwent quintuple bypass surgery 17 years ago and used to consume 14 bottles of red wine a day, is impressive.

The French actor has given an illuminating interview to US website The Daily Beast, which outlines the breadth of his eccentric beliefs on a range of geopolitical issues, many of which are published in his memoir, Innocent.

Notably, Depardieu shared his understanding that the Aids epidemic, which is believed to have originated in primates in West-central Africa before being transferred to humans in the early 20th century, was in fact created by the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense. As recounted in the The Daily Beast: