Depp is currently playing Louis XV. But not everyone is happy about the “dump it out” attitude in the film industry.
What a difference a year makes … About a year ago, Johnny Depp was still knee-deep in the controversial defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard. The then 58-year-old lost lucrative roles and even threatened to be canceled by the film biz for a long time. After Depp finally won the case, he went on a UK tour away from Hollywood with his guitar friend Jeff Beck, who passed away in January 2023.
Tempi passati.
At the 76th Cannes International Film Festival, which has just started, Johnny walked the red carpet again. Together with the other stars of the historical film “Jeanne du Barry” (director and screenplay: Jeanne Vaubernier alias Maïwenn), he sent kajal eyes towards the crowd of photographers.
The international tabloids noted that before the opening film was screened, Depp received a standing ovation and was even moved to tears at the recognition. In a short clip that has been circulating the internet, he thanked the fans and wiped his teary eyes with a relieved smile.
But not everyone wants to go along with this “sponge over it” position. According to a report by the US industry magazine “Variety”, Cannes juror and actress Brie Larson (“Captain Marvel”) is unsure whether she will watch the Depp film: “I don’t know how I’ll feel about it,” so Larson.
Judging wise, the actress isn’t required to review Depp’s first starring role in three years as the film isn’t in the official competition. When asked by a reporter if she would attend the world premiere, Larson dodged: “You’re asking me that?” she replied at a jury press conference on Tuesday (May 16). “I’m sorry, I don’t understand the context and why me.”
Upon prodding from the questioner, Larson added, “We’ll see if I’ll see it. And I don’t know how I’ll feel when I see it.”
Depp’s involuntary retirement from Hollywood began with his being released from the Harry Potter spin-off series Fantastic Beasts when he lost a 2020 UK defamation lawsuit that first involved Heard’s sexual abuse allegations.
However, he was never completely pushed out of showbiz, instead receiving awards for his career and honors from various international film festivals. He also kept his lucrative contract as a brand ambassador with the French fashion house Dior. After a US jury in the “Heard/Depp” case ultimately awarded him ten million US dollars in damages from Amber Heard, there was no longer any reason, at least in formal legal terms, to no longer employ the emblematic “Pirate of the Caribbean”.
As Variety notes, judge Larson is an outspoken supporter of the #MeToo movement. She sat on the now-defunct advisory board of Time’s Up, an advocacy group formed at the height of the #MeToo movement. To this day, she actively supports victims of sexual assault in the (US) entertainment industry. In 2017, when she presented Casey Affleck, who was sued by two women over sexual harassment allegations, for Best Actor, she demonstratively withheld applause as the rest of the audience gave the ‘Manchester by the Sea’ star a standing ovation.
“Living life as a woman means living life on the defensive,” Brie Larson said in the post-Harvey Weinstein case in 2017. “As always, I stand by the brave endurers of sexual assault and harassment . It’s not your fault; I believe and trust you!”
When asked about the Heard trial, Cannes festival director Thierry Frémaux, on the other hand, said abruptly and tabula rasa: “If there is one person in this world who was not interested in this trial, it’s me.”
So back to business for Johnny Depp, who is now playing the French King Louis XV under a powdered Wallehaar wig.
The Flashlight faction, meanwhile, is reporting that Depp’s ‘Mystery of Dumbledore’ replacement Mads Mikkelsen was also spotted on the red carpet on Tuesday night – the Dane plays the villain in ‘Indiana Jones and the Wheel of Destiny’, which will celebrate its world premiere in Cannes. Also present at the opening of the festival in a good mood: Michael Douglas, who received the Golden Palm of Honor for long-term services. At his side was wife Catherine Zeta-Jones and daughter Carys Zeta Douglas.
German actors were also at the Croisette start: Emilia Schüle and Matthias Schweighöfer, for example. Paula Beer appeared in her capacity as a jury member for the Cannes sidebar Un Certain Regard. Franz Rogowski, in turn, as a jury member for the “Semaine de la Critique” section.
The screen marathon on the Mediterranean coast continues until May 27th and ends with the awarding of the “Golden Palm”.