Rip Torn plead not guilty Monday to two counts stemming from a Dec. 14 drunken driving arrest.

The 77-year-old was rung up on charges of illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence and failure to drive in the proper lane after cops caught him cruising the breakdown lane of Route 44 with a Christmas tree tied to the roof of his Subaru. Torn lives in Salisbury, Conn., near the New York border.

Police say the actor botched part of a field sobriety exam and then refused to continue, insisting the ground wasn't level enough. He also refused a breath test.

Torn, who currently plays Alec Baldwin's back-from-a-coma boss Don Geiss on 30 Rock and is best known for the Men in Black films and his Emmy-winning role on The Larry Sanders Show, is due back in court Jan. 28.