After a hiatus from significant roles, Johnny Depp made his prominent return at the Cannes Film Festival’s premiere of “Jeanne du Barry,” his first significant part since his notorious defamation trial. On Tuesday, he was in celebrity spirit, engaging with fans for photos and autographs before the film screening.
Admirers in the French Riviera expressed their support through signs reading “Congrats, Johnny” and “We are sorry,” complete with a heart symbol.
As expected, the festival lived up to its glamorous reputation, with celebrities such as Mads Mikkelsen, Helen Mirren with her blue hair, and John C. Reilly traversing the red carpet.
In contrast, Michael Douglas, joined by his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and their daughter, bypassed autograph signing to enter the Grand Theatre Lumiere. The 78-year-old actor received an honorary Palme d’Or at the venue. “There are hundreds of film festivals all around the world, but there’s only one Cannes,” Douglas shared with the crowd, jokingly adding that he is older than the 76-year-old festival.
Catherine Deneuve, a 79-year-old French cinema legend and the face of this year’s festival poster, was also called on stage to address the guests.
In “Jeanne du Barry,” Depp portrays King Louis XV, while the film also stars French actor and director Maïwenn Le Besco, known as Maïwenn. She plays Madame du Barry, a French courtesan who rose through the ranks at Versailles to become the king’s favourite.
The visually stunning film, partially funded by Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Foundation, has an estimated budget of $22.4 million. Critics, however, claimed it lacked depth. The Hollywood Reporter commented, “Even the casting – some would say stunt casting – of Johnny Depp as the king offers a few early thrills and then mostly yawns.”
This French-language film, which does not yet have a set North American release date, signifies the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor’s career rebound. He has had a limited presence in film and TV since his trial concluded in June 2022.
Depp won significantly in his defamation case against his ex-wife, actor Amber Heard, in a U.S. court, securing more than $10 million in damages. However, less than two years prior, Depp lost a libel lawsuit in Britain against the Sun tabloid that labelled him a “wife beater.” This resulted in his removal from the “Fantastic Beasts” movie franchise, a “Harry Potter” offshoot.
Cannes Festival director Thierry Fremaux stated that he was unaware of Depp’s reputation in the U.S., and seeing as the actor was not legally prohibited from acting, there was no reason not to feature the film.
An open letter signed by over a hundred actors and published in the French newspaper Liberation criticized Cannes for “rolling out the red carpet to men and women who assault.” They claimed it sends a message that such actions have no repercussions, although no specific names were mentioned.
