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Johnny Depp, who received a standing ovation for his latest film, “Jeanne Du Barry,” at the Cannes Film Festival, told journalists at the French fest he’s done with Hollywood and took aim at the media, saying what has been written about him is “fiction.”
During a press conference on Wednesday, after Depp arrived 45 minutes late, the actor 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.”
He added enigmatically, “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.” But he didn’t seem to finish the sentence.
Depp was reportedly fired from his role in the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise amid his legal battle with Amber Heard.
“Do I feel boycotted now?” Depp said. “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.”
Depp’s appearance in the high-profile French film has been described as a “comeback” by many, but the controversial star doesn’t see it that way.
“I keep wondering about the word ‘comeback,’ because I didn’t go anywhere,” he said. “Maybe people stopped calling out of whatever their fear was at the time, but I didn’t go anywhere.”
He added, “Saying ‘comeback’ is almost like I’m going to come out and do a tap dance — dance my best and hope you approve.”
The trial between Depp and Heard drew public attention and he seemed to take issue with what has been written in the press.
“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,” he said.
Depp’s new film received a standing ovation as the festival’s opening film on Tuesday night. Depp plays King Louis XV and speaks French in the role.
He walked the red carpet arm-in-arm with director Maiwenn, and the pair held hands as they entered the theater to audience applause.
Despite an online campaign, called “#CannesYouNot” by Amber Heard supporters, Page Six did not spot any protesters outside the film. Then again, protests of any kind have been banned from the highly policed festival.
Fest director Thierry Fremaux addressed the backlash of having Depp’s film play, saying during a different press conference, “I’m the last person to be able to discuss all this. If there’s one person in the world who is not interested in this very mediatized process, it’s me. I don’t know what it’s about. I care about Johnny Depp as an actor.”
In 2019, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor sued Heard for $50 million — and alleged the actress defamed him by falsely claiming he abused her in a Washington Post op-ed in 2018, though she didn’t name him.
Heard responded by countersuing him for $100 million.
Depp won his case and Heard was ordered to pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages.
