Gerard Depardieu is set to go on trial in Paris on Monday, with the French actor facing two counts of sexual assault in the country’s highest-profile #MeToo case.

Depardieu is accused of assaulting women while filming the 2021 film Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters).

Prosecutors say the actor made sexually explicit remarks to two members of the film’s production team and then aggressively “groped” them. If convicted, he faces five years in prison.

The 75-year-old denies the allegations and said in an open letter published last year that he had never “abused a woman”. His lawyer earlier on Monday asked for the trial to be postponed, citing the actor’s health problems.

“Gerard Depardieu is extremely affected and unfortunately his doctors have forbidden him to be present at the hearing, which is why he will ask for a postponement to a later date in order to participate,” Jeremie Assous told local media.

The trial marks a major moment for France’s #MeToo movement, with Depardieu the most high-profile figure in French cinema to face sexual assault allegations. The women – who have not been named – say Depardieu made sexual comments to them. They say he “grabs” and “gropes” her.

Depardieu’s lawyer accused the women of “false accusations”. He also claimed that one of the women was trying to “make money” by demanding 30,000 euros ($32,500; £25,000) in damages, Le Monde reported.

Since the allegations emerged, Depardieu has become a virtual pariah. He has not appeared in a film since 2022 and faces a second trial next year for raping actress Charlotte Arnould twice at his Paris home. He denies the allegations.

Depardieu has also been accused of sexual assault by more than a dozen other women.

Despite the mounting allegations, the star has received strong messages of support from members of France’s artistic community. A group of more than 50 actors, directors and producers said the allegations against Depardieu were “an attack on art itself” in a letter published last year.

Signed by actors Charlotte Rampling, Carole Bouquet, Pierre Richard and singers Carla Bruni and Jacques Dutronc, the letter said they could not “remain silent in the face of the lynching that fell upon him (Depardieu)”.

French President Emmanuel Macron also drew ire after describing the actor as the “pride of France” last year. Macron added that Depardieu had been subjected to a “manhunt”. Participants said the comments undermined efforts to protect women from violence.

Actress Léa Seydoux called Macron’s comments “insane”, adding that they “give a very bad image for France”.

Despite Macron’s show of support, his then-culture minister Rima Abdul-Malak said she would consider stripping Depardieu of the Legion of Honor after footage emerged of him making sexual comments around women in a documentary from 2018 filmed in North Korea.