Johnny Depp’s rocky journey of regaining public support may or may not have gone the way he wanted. When his ex, Amber Heard accused him of abuse, people became divisive over believing Johnny’s denials. After Depp got the verdict in the defamation trial, people stayed divisive over believing Johnny’s denials. Depp’s image may not have been totally cleansed, but the Jack Sparrow actor knows that the show must go on as he stars in Jeanne Du Barry, a French period drama about King Louis XV. Jeanne Du Barry made its way to Cannes and Depp along with it.
According to IndieWire, Johnny Depp reflected on his return to the renowned film event. An Instagram video posted by photographer Greg Williams shows Depp expressing his feelings about being back at Cannes. In the video, Depp remarks, “Walking up the steps at the thing, I’ve done it a few times with different films over many years. It’s quite beautiful, when you’re at the receiving end, you just feel like, initially you feel fucking exposed.” Jeanne Du Barry made a mediocre splash at Cannes as it premiered to moderate reviews, as well as finding a distributor for American release through Vertical.
Should you call it a comeback? Depp explained that despite the media circus that followed his trial and the public relations nightmare that hurt his reputation, the Pirates of the Caribbean star insists that he never intended to leave Hollywood. “I mean, you call it whatever you want, you could make it whatever you want but comeback? I mean, you have to go away to come back. I didn’t go nowhere. Maybe I was not thought of or looked at or allowed to be looked at.” He continued, “People can hit the bottom many times. You can drop straight to the bottom a billion fucking times, but if you’re lucky enough to find the basement, you’re alright, you know?”
Probably the biggest success story of a comeback from rock bottom is that of Robert Downey Jr. Although Downey’s trouble was more self-inflicted, he could objectively beat it without scandal. Plus, he had the benefit of not having his trouble unfold in the time of social media, where people react nearly in real-time. Depp still has support, and many will come to his defense in the heated debate of who to believe in a situation like his. Time will tell if he can regain the admiration he once had. Perhaps he’s already started by donating a portion of his trial payout to charity.