Remember the Johnny Depp – Amber Heard finger-pointing-blame-game defamation trial last year?
Ever since then, Depp has been keeping a low profile in the entertainment scene.
But this month, he’s back, baby.
Returning to the Scene
Johnny Depp made his long-awaited return to the red carpet at this year’s 76th Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday (16 May).
Bouncing back to the big screen after the high-profile court case last year, the Pirates-Of-The-Caribbean actor will be playing a leading role in the upcoming French biographical drama film Jeanne du Barry, which was also the opening film for the event.
In the film, Depp plays King Louis XV alongside his leading co-star Maïwenn Le Besco, who plays the French courtesan, Madame du Barry, as she rose through the Versailles social ranks to win the king’s favour.
The film, however, was not entirely well-received.
Even though it has received funding from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Foundation as part of a total estimated budget of $22.4 million (S$30 million), the overall visuals still “lacked a pulse”.
The Hollywood Reporter jumps in on this and adds that “Johnny Depp as the king offers a few early thrills and then mostly yawns”.
The film does not have a release date at the time of writing, but negative press surrounding it and its lead actors has been brewing.
In an open letter that was signed by more than 100 actors and published in the French newspaper Liberation on Tuesday, the Cannes was criticized for “rolling out the red carpet to men and women who assault”. Despite no names being dropped, it’s obvious who the intended message was directed at.
Besides *coughs* Depp, Maïwenn had also committed assault, but against a journalist.
The letter claimed that by doing so, the festival sends the message that abuse has no repercussions in the entertainment industry.
Depp might have gotten out of that big storm, but it looks like another one is brewing.
Looks like Depp will never catch a break (for now).
Just last year, Depp finally emerged victorious from the legal battle between him and his ex-wife Amber Heard.
In the live-streamed US trial, Depp brought the defamation suit against Heard over the 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post, where she identified herself as a victim of domestic abuse.
Need a quick speed run on that event? Don’t worry; we got you.
Following his win, the actor has been laying low for a while, as brands had redrawn their contracts with him amidst the trial; he was even dropped from the “Fantastic Beasts” movie franchise.