Johnny Depp made a rare public appearance at the Cannes press conference for Jeanne du Barry, a costume drama that opened the 76th edition of the film festival. The movie marks the actors first leading role in three years, following his high-profile legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard. As he reemerged into the limelight, Depp appears to have mixed feelings about his years-long absence from Hollywood films.
Did I feel boycotted by Hollywood? Youd have to not have a pulse to feel like, No. None of this is happening. Its a weird joke,' he told the press on Wednesday. When youre asked to resign from a film youre doing because of something that is merely a function of vowels and consonants floating in the air, yes, you feel boycotted.
Depp was presumably referring to a sequel to the Harry Potter spinoff series Fantastic Beasts, which he stepped away from in 2020. By exiting the Warner Bros. film amid PR headaches, the A-list star responsible for more than $10 billion in worldwide box office gave up an eight-figure salary.
He then continued, I dont feel boycottedbyHollywood, becauseIdontthinkabout Hollywood. Its a strange, funny time where everybodywouldlovetobeabletobethemselves, but they cant. They must fall in line with the person in front of them. If you want to live that life, I wish you the best.
Depps legal battles culminated in adefamation trialwon by the actor in the U.S., in which Heard was ordered to pay him $10 million in damages. He previouslylost a 2020 U.K. libel case involving Heards abuse allegations, causing his forced exit from 2022s Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.Not everyone parted ways with the actor in the wake of his myriad controversies. Dior, the French luxury fashion house, stood by the embattled star and signed him to a massive $20 million-plus deal, the largest pact ever in mens fragrance.
Though Heards name was never directly mentioned at the press conference, his legal battle with her continued to crop up. When asked by a Variety reporter what he would say to those who think he should not attend Cannes due to his past legal issues, Depp offered a hypothetical.
What if one day they did not allow me under no circumstances, no matter what [that] I cannot go to McDonalds for life because somewhere if you got them all in one room itd be 39 angry people watching me eat a Big Mac on a loop just for fun, he said. Who are they? Why do they care? Some kind of species, some tower of mashed potatoes, covering the light on their computer screen. Anonymous. With apparently less free time. I dont think we should be worried. People should really think about what its all about. Really.
Earlier in the press conference, Depp also spoke about his disdain of the media, who intensely covered his trials with Heard and fallout from Hollywood. The majority of what you read is fantastically, horrifically written fiction. Its like asking the question: How are you doing? But the subtext is, God, I hate you.'
He also dismissed the idea that Cannes marks his comeback to film. Ive had my 17th comeback, apparently, he said. I keep wondering about the word comeback. I didnt go anywhereMaybe people stopped calling out of whatever their fear was at the time. But I didnt go nowhere.
Depp was more than 40 minutes late to the press conference for Jeanne du Barry because he was stuck in traffic, forcing the event to start 27 minutes behind schedule and without him.
Matt Donnelly contributed to this report.