Finally vindicated by the Amber Heard trial, beloved actor Johnny Depp made his first big appearance since he was removed from films because of Heard’s allegations, starring as King Louis XV in Jeanne du Barry.
That film, released at the Cannes Film Festival, was Depp’s return to moviemaking and his first starring role since the trial, and Depp was greeted at the film festival by throngs of cheering supporters and a minutes-long standing ovation.
Asked, during the press conference about his new movie, if he still feels “boycotted by Hollywood,” Depp said:
“Did I feel boycotted by Hollywood? Well, you’d have to not have a pulse to feel at that point like this was all just a weird joke. Of course, when you’re asked to resign from a film you’re doing because of something that’s merely a bunch of vowels and consonants floating in the air …”
“Do I feel boycotted now? No, not at all. But I don’t feel boycotted, because I don’t think about Hollywood. I don’t feel much further need for Hollywood — I don’t know about you.”
“It’s a very strange, funny time when everyone would love to be themselves, but they can’t because they must fall in line with the person in front of them. If you want to follow that line, be my guest. I’ll be on the other side.”
Continuing, Depp said, “The majority of you who have been reading for the last five or six years, with regards to me and my life — the majority of what you’ve read is fantastically, horrifically written fiction. The fact is, we’re here to talk about the film. But it’s like asking the question, ‘How are you doing?’ But what’s underneath in the subtext is, ‘God, I hate you.’ That’s the sort of media thing.”
He then said, “I keep wondering about the word ‘comeback,’ because I didn’t go anywhere. I live about 45 minutes away from here, in fact. Maybe people stopped calling — out of whatever their fear was at the time — but I didn’t go nowhere. I’ve been sitting around. ‘Comeback’ is almost like I’m going to come out and do a tap dance — dance my best and hope you approve. That’s the notion. It’s a bizarre mystery.”
The Hollywood Reporter, describing the plot of Depp’s new film, said:
In Jeanne du Barry, Depp plays Louis XV — speaking exclusively in French — alongside Maïwenn as the title character, and supporting stars Benjamin Lavernhe, Melvil Poupaud, Pierre Richard, Pascal Greggory and India Hair. The story follows Jeanne Vaubernier, a working-class young woman hungry for culture and pleasure, who uses her intelligence and allure to relentlessly climb the rungs of the social ladder. She becomes the favorite of Louis XV, who, unaware of her status as a courtesan, regains through her his appetite for life. They fall madly in love, and against all propriety and etiquette, Jeanne moves to Versailles, where her arrival scandalizes the court.
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