This interview was published on 7 newsstands July 21. We present it online to Corriere.it readers
“My comeback? I don’t know why they call it that, If I break my back and jump on stage to tap dance after years, I can say it’s a comeback. Or if I die and revive, it will be a tremendous comeback” he says with a laugh. “I didn’t leave, I was always around. Of course, my phone rings low because it only takes a moment for you to turn into a monster., Johnny Depp’s laugh is not bitter. He speaks slowly, following his thoughts, and from time to time he comes up with something funny that amuses him and his listeners. It’s pure irony – and self-irony – that allowed him to give a face to Tim Burton’s black fairy tales, beginning with Edward Scissorhands in the 1990s. It’s his eye for the little things, his teasing taste. “I don’t smoke, I’m pretending to be a character study,” he says when we see his strange cigarette. “I wonder why no one believes me.”
It’s always one step of his – this would be because of his Cherokee origins – in relation to the American culture that has turned him into a star with his saga Pirates of the Caribbean and put him on a media roller coaster, From idolatry to infamy to the social media hate fueled by wife Amber Heard’s 2016 rape allegations, After the divorce, she was the one who sued him for defamation, adultery and domestic violence. And he won: The process became a world show Public opinion is divided among fan clubs, It shut down in 2022 with the actress being sentenced to pay more than $10 million in damages, If it’s not a comeback, then Johnny Depp’s 60th birthday is a turning point. He made his Cannes Film Festival debut last fall by starring in French as King Louis XV in a film by Maven, which will be released in cinemas on August 30: Jean Du Barry – Favorite of the King It is the story of a woman of humble origin (Maven is also the interpreter) who uses her charms to climb the rungs of the social ladder until she conquers the king.
“In my next work as director, Modo, the protagonist is Riccardo Scamario: I trust the man a lot”
«Maven was very brave in choosing a man from the Kentucky Mountains to play the role of the King of France! I accepted knowing I would have to work a lot on my French to be credible,’ he says, drawing on his 14-year relationship with Vanessa Paradis, the mother of his children (Lily-Rose and John Jack Christopher, 24 and 21), in Paris. Today depp has a small production house located in london and going back behind the camera Together Modo, a film about Amedeo Modigliani starring Riccardo Scamarcio, In an exclusive interview with 7 she said, “I have a lot of faith in the guy.” Her open hair, her rings and tattoos visible, her effortless manner make you forget about wrinkles.
Seeing them in Louis XV costumes and wigs in an eighteenth-century French landscape makes a strange impression. How was the experience for him?
“When Maven wanted to meet me, I thought it was a mistake. On the one hand, it felt unfair to me to be immersed in a culture that was so different from mine and so far away in time. On the other hand, I like risk, even if it means regretting it, and I see failure as an interesting experience. She herself thought of a French actor but then she wanted me and I didn’t hesitate for a minute. It was an intense, unusual and fun experience. I improved my French with a coach, I studied the different ways the king addressed different interlocutors. Only with Jeanne, in intimacy, does he break free from more formal bonds. Then there’s the irony that serves as the story’s counterpoint, breaking its tragic nature.
“I love broken characters like the King of France in this movie. He is a prisoner of power, only falling in love gives happiness”
Were you impressed by the applause and fans on the Croisette after being away from Cannes for so many years? (Last seen in 2012 with his wife, Vanessa Paradis; ed.).
“I’m happy to bring a job I believe in, and if they like it, so much the better.” As for the hordes of fans, they probably come when they think you’re out of style or about to die. Or they bet each other whether you are good or not.’
The film is inspired by a true story, which led to a scandal as favorite Jean du Barry went to court. Was it true love?
“Yes, Jean has profoundly changed the king. With her he finds tenderness, vulnerability. Too dangerous for a king, it terrifies him even more than war itself. At least that’s what I imagined. As far as scandals are concerned, they obviously attract me for some reason.’
Years ago you declared that your characters have something in common, that they’re all a little crooked or broken. Is this too?
Yes, because Louis XV becomes king at a very young age and is brought up only for the sake of the crown, he is trained to strangle all sensibility and humanity to become a king. She is a prisoner of the power machine, a harsh label that is used with the family and her daughters as well. Falling in love is the only moment of happiness.
“Hollywood is a system of power and offers a winning formula similar to the customs and laws practiced by the French court. But people change and demand more, even the cinema public is tired of generic stories…”
Does the Court of Versailles have anything to do with Hollywood?
«Hollywood is a system of power and proposes again a formula that is considered equally successful as the French court enforcing customs and laws. But people change and demand more, even cinema goers are tired of generic stories, romantic comedies with handsome pairings. Today’s productions would be short lived if they did not focus more on creativity. They should think about doing their job better, because it is not a Hollywood brand which guarantees that the film will look and run well.
Do you feel trapped too?
«I was recognized on sight from the age of 23 and since then, I have lived behind hotel windows and airplane windows, I have seen everything flowing through the windows of cars and trains. It is a curse and a gift at the same time. You suffer from loneliness in the privilege of seeing many places and doing something creative, expressing yourself through art. But this is all too crazy, nothing even close to normal. On the other hand, I did not consider myself normal earlier also.
He objected.
“I tried to learn the game without playing it till the end, find my own way of expressing myself as an actor. I have always tried to be true to myself and don’t care about criticism. as long as I could.”
“When you are fired from a working film on the basis of allegations without proof, you cannot know that you are being boycotted. You think you’ve been cancelled…”
In a 2021 interview he said that he felt ostracized by Hollywood. Is it still the case?
“When you are fired from an ongoing film (this happened during filming in 2020).Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secret, ed) Based on a handful of allegations without evidence, you can only feel left out. You feel that you have been written off, that you are just thought of as a slacker. But now I don’t feel marginalized by Hollywood because I don’t really think about Hollywood anymore. It’s the kind of place where you’ll want to be yourself, but in the end you can’t, because you have to stay within certain tracks. Do you want to live like this? Congratulations. I’m going somewhere else. It’s like I woke up from a thirty-five year slumber to watch the most bizarre movies ever.
Does it also mean the media process and the world?
«When I understood that the information wanted only a certain version of the facts, that I had to be what they wanted me to be, I realized that I could not speak anymore. I felt a lot of pain on my skin. On the other hand, for some reason this happened to me and I had to deal with it.
How do you feel now?
“I can finally put all this behind me. I think about it every day? Not even an iota. Will it affect my future? Absolutely not. To get out of tough moments in life you have to be patient, that’s what everyone does. In the end you realize that it teaches you many things, to mature and grow.
“I am delighted to set up my own small production company in London. I don’t feel the need to work in American studios, and even necessarily in the United States.
and his children?
“Luckily they are fine, so to hell with everything else. I have fought my battle against lies. After all, they are part of our culture, for better or worse. From the lies about Santa you tell your kids to grow up with in line with the traditions, to the stories we believe as adults. Beautiful and gratifying for us actors and directors, when they have artistic and human sense. Absurd if they emerge in the media circus that surrounds us, which is also unrealistic and boring.
Will we be seeing you in Europe more often as you have a small production house in London?
“I am happy to have my own small company. I don’t feel the need to work in American studios or even necessarily in the United States, but where I have an interesting project.
Modern Is there a biopic of Modigliani?
“During his stay in Paris the painter tells that in 48 hours his life is at risk of changing.” In addition to Riccardo Scamarcio, the protagonist that I have chosen and in whom I have great confidence, is Al Pacino who plays a great collector and is the co-producer.
He shot his feature film debut 26 years ago, directing an aging Marlon Brando The brave , what do you remember?
“I remember him hooking up with Caroline, the secretary at the time, with the earphones on, and she waved him off the line. He was 75, didn’t get enough sleep, but since then I use earphones to immerse myself in something, often music, that helps me get into the role. In a matter of seconds you can recreate an atmosphere, a memory, and feel completely immersed in another story.
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