Johnny Depp says he doesn’t feel ‘boycotted’ by Hollywood because he doesn’t ‘think about it’ as he makes appearance at Cannes Film Festival – after court victory over Amber Heard
Johnny Depp has addressed whether he felt ‘boycotted’ by Hollywood as he made an appearance at Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
The actor, 59, spoke to the press at the 76th Film Festival just one day after his new film Jeanne du Barry premiered at Tuesday’s opening night.
The drama, which sees Depp play King Louis XV, is his first film since his trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard, which saw a civil jury award him $10million in damages.
Depp’s first film in three years comes after he was notably asked to step down from the Harry Potter spin-off franchise Fantastic Beasts.
Now, he has addressed whether he feels ‘boycotted’ by Hollywood as he claimed he has ‘no need’ for it and shared he has no plans to return to studio projects.
Hollywood: Johnny Depp has addressed whether he felt ‘boycotted’ by Hollywood as he made an appearance at Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday
Speaking at a press conference, he said: ‘I don’t feel boycotted by Hollywood, because I don’t think about Hollywood. I don’t have much further need for Hollywood, myself.
‘It’s a strange, funny time where everybody would love to be able to be themselves, but they can’t. They must fall in line with the person in front of them. If you want to live that life, I wish you the best.’
Depp went on to address what it was like being asked to ‘resign’ from a film, adding: ‘Did I feel boycotted by Hollywood? You’d have to not have a pulse to feel like, “No. None of this is happening. It’s a weird joke”.
‘When you’re asked to resign from a film you’re doing because of something that is merely a function of vowels and consonants floating in the air, yes, you feel boycotted.’
Depp also hit back at people who have questioned whether Cannes should have given him such a prominent platform.
‘What if one day, they did not allow me to go to McDonald’s for life because somewhere there’d be 39 angry people watching me eat a Big Mac on a loop?’ he asked. ‘Who are they? What do they care?’
The Pirates Of The Caribbean star went on to discuss why he doesn’t think he has had a ‘comeback’, insisting he didn’t go anywhere.
‘I’ve had my 17th comeback, apparently,’ he said. ‘I keep wondering about the word “comeback’. I didn’t go anywhere.
Speaking out: The actor, 59, addressed the press at the 76th Film Festival just one day after his new film Jeanne du Barry premiered at Tuesday’s grand opening night
Exit: Depp’s first film in three years comes after he was notably asked to step down as Gellert Grindelwald from the Harry Potter spin-off franchise Fantastic Beasts
Update: Now, he has addressed whether he feels ‘boycotted’ by Hollywood as he claimed he has ‘no need’ for it and shared he has no plans to return to studio projects
‘As a matter of fact, I live about 45 minutes away. Maybe people stopped calling out of whatever their fear was at the time. But I didn’t go nowhere.’
Depp took part in the Jeanne du Barry press conference alongside his co-star, the French actor-director Maïwenn. The film opened in French cinemas on Tuesday.
His latest comments come after Depp received a seven-minute standing ovation at the premiere of his French film Jeanne du Barry on Tuesday.
The actor teared up while taking in the moment with director and co-star Maïwenn by his side.
Louis XV reigned over France from 1715 to his death in 1774. He was married to Queen of France, Marie Leczinska but had a number of long-term affairs. Jeanne was his final lover before he died.
According to the synopsis, the film follows ‘Jeanne Vaubernier, a young working-class woman hungry for culture and pleasure [who] uses her intelligence and allure to climb the rungs of the social ladder one by one.’
The plot continues as she ‘becomes the favorite of King Louis XV, who, unaware of her status as courtesan, regains through her his appetite for life’.
‘They fall madly in love,’ the synopsis reads. ‘Against all propriety and etiquette, Jeanne moves to Versailles, where her arrival scandalises the court.’
The film also stars Benjamin Lavernhe, Melvil Poupaud, Pierre Richard, Pascal Greggory, and India Hair.
The film is Depp’s first project since his court case against his ex-wife Amber, while Cannes marked his first red carpet appearance since the case.
In remarks to the press Monday, Cannes director Thierry Fremaux defended the choice, saying Depp is extraordinary in the film and he paid no attention to the trial.
‘To tell you the truth, in my life, I only have one rule, it’s the freedom of thinking, the freedom of speech and the freedom to act within a legal framework,’ said Fremaux.
‘If Johnny Depp had been banned from acting in a film, or the film was banned we wouldn’t be here talking about it.’
After both Depp and Heard accused each other of physical and verbal abuse, a civil jury awarded Depp $10million in damages and $2million to Heard – though they later agreed on Depp being awarded $1million to put an end to their legal battle.
In 2016, Heard, 36, famously accused the actor, 59, of domestic violence, which led to Depp being blacklisted by much of Hollywood resulting in loss of film roles.
A jury determined that Heard’s claims, which were published in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed, against Depp were defamatory.
Depp was ordered to pay Heard $2million by the same courtroom after Heard countersued for defamation.
Boycott: Speaking at a press conference, he said: ‘I don’t feel boycotted by Hollywood, because I don’t think about Hollywood’
Speaking out: He added: ‘It’s a strange, funny time where everybody would love to be able to be themselves, but they can’t. They must fall in line with the person in front of them’
Screen stars: Johnny joined his Jeanne du Barry co-star Maïwenn at the photocall
All smiles: The actor waved at the cameras
Thoughts: Depp also hit back at people who have questioned whether Cannes should have given him such a prominent platform
Candid: ‘What if one day, they did not allow me to go to McDonald’s for life because somewhere there’d be 39 angry people watching me eat a Big Mac on a loop?’ he asked
Dismissed: The Pirates Of The Caribbean star went on to discuss why he doesn’t think he has had a ‘comeback’, insisting he didn’t go anywhere
New project: The drama, which sees Depp play King Louis XV (pictured), is his first film since his trial against his ex Amber Heard, which saw a civil jury award him $10million in damages
Court: In 2016, Heard, 36, famously accused the actor, 59, of domestic violence, which led to Depp being blacklisted by much of Hollywood resulting in loss of film roles
Heard filed an appeal in early December, but the the former couple recently came to an agreement that Heard would pay $1million in order to settle the case instead of heading into a third trial.
Lawyers for Depp, Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez, said the actor is glad the ‘painful chapter’ is over and confirmed he would donate the money to charity.
In an Instagram statement, Heard confirmed the settlement but refused to accept guilt and declared her life had been ‘destroyed’ by the jury’s decision.
In 2020, a British court ruled that 12 of 14 violence incidents claimed by Heard were ‘substantially true,’ and Depp was subsequently forced to resign from the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise at the request of Warner Bros.
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