Johnny Depp Says He’s Not Returning To Hollywood
Johnny Depp reportedly feels no further need to work in Hollywood.
You’d have to be tucked away in the brig to not know that it’s been a rough few years for Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp. He was one of the biggest names in Hollywood until allegations were made against him by ex-wife Amber Heard, and it took long years and an excruciatingly public trial for him to (mostly) clear his name. Now, The Hollywood Reporter says that despite getting a seven-minute standing ovation at Cannes for his latest film Jeanne du Barry, the star doesn’t “feel much further need for Hollywood” anymore.
Johnny Depp’s words were somewhat shocking given what a positive reaction he received for this movie in which he speaks entirely in French. Given how the drama with Amber heard cost Depp his role in the Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts franchise, the narrative forming around Depp with this new film was that this was his definitive comeback as an actor. Depp himself balks at this narrative, saying this isn’t a comeback “because I didn’t go anywhere” and that if it seemed like he was gone, that may be because “people stopped calling — out of whatever their fear was at the time.”
Of course, Johnny Depp’s own clarification of this point makes his comments regarding Hollywood that much more perplexing. If this isn’t a “comeback” and, in the parlance of LL Cool J, Depp’s “been here for years,” then why does he seem like he is over Hollywood? Depp did not elaborate on this seeming paradox, but it seems like he is mostly opposed to what he sees as the cancel culture mentality of current Hollywood executives.
The context for Johnny Depp’s quote about no longer needing Hollywood is that he was asked if he still agreed with a 2021 statement he made about getting boycotted. Without naming Warner Bros. or the Fantastic Beast films, Depp mentioned how surreal it feels 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.” And the reason that he no longer feels boycotted by Hollywood is that he simply no longer thinks of Hollywood as he once did.
If this really is to be the last Johnny Depp film, it seems like he is going out with a bang. Jeanne du Barry is a lavish period piece in which Depp plays Louis XV in scenes where the French dialogue and elegant costumes are equally immaculate. If nothing else, the prolonged standing ovation that Depp received for the movie shows that even if he is done with traditional Hollywood studios, he will have a very bright future in independent film if he wants to go down that road.
It’s too early to tell, but it seems like the success of Johnny Depp’s latest film is a sign that whether he wants the attention or not, Hollywood, film critics, and general audiences are willing to embrace him again with open arms. It’s certainly a victory for Depp’s fans: after all, we live in a world where he is getting standing ovations at Cannes and fans are clamoring for more, while Aquaman 2 may prove to be Amber Heard’s last movie after she was forced to retire from the industry.
If nothing else works out, maybe she can get ex-boyfriend Elon Musk to save her space on the ship for the first trip to Mars so she’ll no longer be one of the most annoying celebs on this planet.
