French actor Gérard Depardieu went on trial Monday in Paris on charges of sexually assaulting two women on a movie set, in a case seen as a potential watershed for the #MeToo movement in France.

Depardieu, 76, is accused of having groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant director during filming in 2021 of "Les Volets Verts" ("The Green Shutters").

The actor faces up to five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros ($81,000) if convicted.

Depardieu denies any wrongdoing. He told the judges that he was prepared to answer the court's questions.

"We will be able to show in an impartial, objective and incontestable manner that all of the accusations are lies," his attorney, Jérémie Assous, told journalists massed outside the courtroom.

"The truth will be obvious and the truth is on our side," he said.

Trial is a test of France's attitudes to sexual violence
Depardieu's long and storied career has turned the trial into a post- #MeToo test of the willingness of France and its movie industry to confront sexual violence and hold influential men accountable.

Depardieu has been a darling of French cinemagoers for decades and was Oscar-nominated in 1991 for his performance as swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac.

But his alleged boorish behavior off-screen has also long made headlines. He has been accused publicly or in formal complaints of misconduct by more than 20 women, but so far only the sexual assault case has proceeded to court. Some others were dropped because of a lack of evidence or the statute of limitations.

Feminist and historian Florence Montreynaud described Depardieu's court appearance as "a historic moment" for women's rights, as she joined other... Read More