ACTOR Johnny Depp, who hasn’t appeared in public since his legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard last year, received an ecstatic seven-minute standing ovation on Tuesday night at the premiere of Cannes Film Festival’s opening night film Jeanne Du Barry.
Depp held back tears as the crowd in the South of France erupted in prolonged applause for his performance as the King Louis XV. He waved to the audience in the balcony and seemed taken aback by the response.
Jeanne du Barry stars actor/director Maiwenn as Jeanne Vaubernier, a working class woman in 18th century France who rises the social ranks and becomes King Louis XV’s lover.
Her working class roots makes her a social pariah in the king’s court. The supporting cast includes Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Richard, Melvil Poupaud and Pascal Greggory.
The controversy surrounding the film began long before its Cannes opening night. The film marks Depp’s most high profile acting role since the conclusion of his 2022 legal battle against ex-wife Amber Heard.
Although the jury sided in Depp’s favour, the actor remains on the sidelines of Hollywood as a result of abuse allegations that surfaced during the trial. Festival director Thierry Fremaux spoke to press ahead of opening night and addressed Depp’s presence at Cannes.
“I don’t know about the image of Johnny Depp in the U.S,” Fremaux said.
“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.”
Depp’s presence has evidently put an uncomfortable spotlight on the festival.
Juror Brie Larson pushed back on a question directed to her by a journalist about Depp’s involvement, saying she didn’t “understand the correlation” of why she was specifically being questioned about it.
Jeanne du Barry is seeking US distribution at the festival.
