Cannes, France, May 17: Johnny Depp hit back on Wednesday against years of negative press, telling the Cannes Film Festival that most of the stories about him were “fantastically, horrifically written fiction”.
Speaking to reporters a day after the premiere of his new film “Jeanne du Barry” on the festival’s opening night, he said he did not care about being boycotted by Hollywood.
“It’s a very strange, funny time where everyone must fall into line,” he said.
“If you want to live that kind of life, I wish you the best. I’ll be on the other side,” he added.
“Jeanne du Barry” received a seven-minute standing ovation — as is customary for opening night films — and Depp received a warm welcome from fans on the red carpet, taking selfies and signing autographs.
But there was widespread vitriol online from supporters of Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard, with one friend saying that Cannes has a “history (of) supporting rapists and abusers”.
Depp won a defamation trial against Heard last year, but remains a toxic figure for many.
But the 59-year-old actor dismissed the years of bad press over her domestic abuse violations as the “stuff you stuff in your shoes or line your parrot cage with.”
Reviews of the film itself were mixed, with The Guardian saying Depp gave a “purring and peculiar” performance as King Louis XV, the 18th French monarch who fell in love with a prostitute.
