Johnny Depp attends the Jeanne du Barry Screening & opening ceremony red carpet at the 76th annual Cannes film festival. Photo / Getty Images
Johnny Depp attends the Jeanne du Barry Screening & opening ceremony red carpet at the 76th annual Cannes film festival. Photo / Getty Images
Johnny Depp has made his long-awaited return to the spotlight at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, according to People.
The actor, 59, attended the red carpet event in France on Tuesday for his film Jeanne Du Barry, which opened the film festival. The French-language movie sees Depp play King Louis XV opposite director and actress Maïwenn.
Depp took time to sign autographs for fans and pose for selfies with them before heading into the event.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor and his Jeanne Du Barry cast mates posed for photographs together, hand-in-hand. They then walked the red carpet to Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash.
Depp received applause when he entered the theatre and took his seat, with one attendee shouting, “Go Johnny!”.
His Hollywood comeback marks one year since his headlining defamation lawsuit with ex-wife Amber Heard over an editorial she wrote citing domestic abuse.
Pauline Pollmann, Diego Le Fur, Maiwenn aka Maiwenn Le Besco, Johnny Depp, Pierre Richard, Benjamin Lavernhe, Pascal Greggory and Melvil Poupaud. Photo / Getty Images
Thierry Fremaux, Cannes Film Festival’s chief, addressed Depp’s reputation and his film opening the festival: “I don’t know about the image of Johnny Depp in the US. To tell you the truth, in my life, I only have one rule, it’s the freedom of thinking and the freedom of speech and acting within a legal framework.
“If Johnny Depp had been banned from acting in a film or the film was banned, we wouldn’t be here talking about it. So we saw Maïwenn’s film and it could have been in competition. She would have been the eighth female director.
“This [controversy] came up once the film was announced at Cannes because everybody knew Johnny had made a film in France … I don’t know why she chose him but it’s a question you should ask Maïwenn.
“As for the rest, I’m the last person to be able to discuss all this.
“If there’s one person in this world who didn’t find the least interest in this very publicised trial, it’s me. I don’t know what it’s about. I also care about Johnny Depp as an actor.”
Depp lost his UK libel suit in November 2020, in which he sued British tabloid The Sun for referring to him as a “wife-beater”. Heard testified in the case and backed up the allegations against Depp. In the end, a London judge upheld the publisher’s claims as being “substantially true” and, in March 2021, his attempt to overturn the verdict was overruled.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's defamation battle is going to be the subject of a movie. Photo / AP
A Virginia jury sided with Depp in his most recent trial last year and the actor won all three counts of defamation against his ex-wife. Heard won one of three claims in the countersuit.
Heard will pay US$1 million ($1.6 million) to Depp as part of the settlement and revealed in a statement at the time: “I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward.”
Depp’s lawyers shared in their own statement, “We are pleased to formally close the door on this painful chapter for Mr. Depp, who made clear throughout this process that his priority was about bringing the truth to light.”
In April, an insider revealed to People that, “filming was challenging, but Johnny is excited about the comeback”.
