BANG Showbiz English
Johnny Depp feels he is being “boycotted” by Hollywood.
The 58-year-old actor is frustrated studio MGM are refusing to release his new movie ‘Minamata’ in the US and thinks the “unpleasant and messy situation” he was in with ex-wife Amber Heard – who accused him of domestic abuse, allegations he has denied – has been allowed to overshadow his career.
Speaking about the movie – which tells the tale of real-life photographer W Eugene Smith, whose photos in Life magazine exposed the mercury poisoning of Japanese villagers in the early 1970s – he said: “We looked these people in the eyeballs and promised we would not be exploitative. That the film would be respectful. I believe that we’ve kept our end of the bargain, but those who came in later should also maintain theirs.
“Some films touch people. And this affects those in ‘Minamata’ and people who experience similar things. And for anything . . .For Hollywood’s boycott of, erm, me? One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?
“But, you know, I’m moving towards where I need to go to make all that . . . To bring things to light.”
The movie was finished in 2019 and is the last Depp – who was asked to step down from the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise after losing his libel trial against The Sun newspaper, who had branded him a “wife beater” – has listed on industry website IMDb but he insisted his career isn’t over.
Asked if it’s his last film, he told The Sunday Times magazine: “Er . . . no. No. No. Actually, I look forward to the next few films I make to be my first films, in a way.
“Because once you’ve . . . Well, look. The way they wrote it in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is that when you see behind the curtain, it’s not him. When you see behind the curtain, there’s a whole lot of motherf****** squished into one spot. All praying that you don’t look at them. And notice them.”
And the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor is grateful he still has the support of his fans and is thankful for their vocal backing of him.
He said: “They have always been my employers. They are all our employers. They buy tickets, merchandise. They made all of those studios rich, but they forgot that a long time ago.
“I certainly haven’t. I’m proud of these people, because of what they are trying to say, which is the truth. The truth they’re trying to get out since it doesn’t in more mainstream publications.
“It’s a long road that sometimes gets clunky. Sometimes just plain stupid. But they stayed on the ride with me and it’s for them I will fight. Always, to the end. Whatever it may be.”
