American actor Johnny Depp responded to his critics at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, saying much of what was written about him was “horrendous fiction”.
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“There are people who want to believe what they want to believe, but the truth is the truth. (…) During the last five, six years, the majority of what you have read is horrible fiction”, he affirmed during a press conference devoted to “Jeanne du Barry”, along -film of Maïwenn where he embodies Louis XV.
Banned from American film sets since the trials that pitted him against his ex-wife Amber Heard on the background of accusations of domestic violence, Johnny Depp, 59, found honors in the world of cinema on Tuesday, treading the carpet red alongside the film crew, screened at the opening.
Asked if he still considered himself boycotted by Hollywood, he replied, “No, not at all.”
Before specifying: “I do not feel boycotted because I do not think of Hollywood”.
“It’s a strange and funny time when everyone wants to be themselves but is not able to… You have to fall into line,” he added.
AFP
Johnny Depp and director Maïwenn.
Asked about his feelings in recent years, he felt that the situation looked like a “bad joke”, especially when you are “asked to withdraw from a film because there are just lyrics that float in the air”.
He joked about the word “comeback” used by the media to describe his return. “Apparently I’ve had 17 returns so far…I haven’t gone anywhere,” he said.
He also said he was “very proud” of the film “Jeanne du Barry”, judging that Maïwenn was “very brave to have chosen a guy from Kentucky to play Louis XV” and that she was “very patient with him. “.
Johnny Depp was warmly welcomed among the megastars, such as Uma Thurman, Michael Douglas or Catherine Deneuve, who opened the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday evening, despite criticism from feminists about the rehabilitation of a contested personality.
He chained selfies and autographs on the red carpet, before attending the opening ceremony.
Several feminist organizations have expressed their disgust, Dare Feminism even calling for a boycott of the Festival. “The feeling of impunity that emerges (from the choice of this film as the opening) freezes us”, denounced several collectives such as 50/50, the Women of Cinema Lab or 1,000 faces.