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 groping 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 $81,000.

Depardieu denies any wrongdoing.

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 nominated for an Oscar in 1991 for his performance as swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac.

But his alleged boorish behavior offscreen 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.

O’Brien accepts Mark Twain Prize for humor

On a night when half a dozen people made jokes about this being the last-ever Mark Twain Prize, Conan O’Brien made sure the ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts ended on a high note.

O’Brien accepted the award for lifetime achievement in comedy Sunday night while acknowledging the backstage turmoil that hangs over the future of the cultural center in Washington.

O’Brien, 61, was named the 26th recipient of the Mark Twain Prize in mid-January, about three weeks before President Donald Trump upended the Kennedy Center by ousting longtime President Deborah Rutter and board Chairman David Rubenstein.

Trump dismissed the board of trustees and replaced them with loyalists, who then elected him as chairman.

“Twain hated bullies. ... He punched up, not down, and he deeply empathized with the weak,” O’Brien said. “Twain loved America, but he knew it was deeply flawed.”

Washington, Gyllenhaal set Broadway record

An “Othello” revival, starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal has become Broadway’s top-grossing play of all time, generating $2.8 million with eight preview performances.

“It’s the most excited I’ve been this century,” Washington said.

He plays the title role, while Gyllenhaal is cast as Iago.

— From wire reports