Johnny Depp just gave his first interview since losing his well-publicized “wife-beater” libel case in the U.K. last year.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star told The Sunday Times that Hollywood is “boycotting” him following his five-year domestic abuse battle involving ex-wife, Amber Heard .
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As a result, he believes he’s being pushed out of the place he used to call home.
First, a refresher on Amber and Johnny’s ongoing court battle.
The former pair got married when they were 51 and 28, respectively. After Johnny filed for divorce 15 months later, Amber filed a domestic violence restraining order against Depp.
“During the entirety of our relationship, Johnny has been verbally and physically abusive to me,” she wrote in court documents.
“I endured excessive emotional, verbal and physical abuse from Johnny.”
“Which has included angry hostile, humiliating and threatening assaults to me whenever I questioned his authority or disagreed with him.”
Depp was adamant in denying the claims and in March 2019, the actor filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit.
One of the most recent developments in their ongoing case is Johnny losing his bid to overturn the ruling in the libel case.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star had gone after The Sun publisher News Group Newspapers for calling him a “wife-beater” in relation to his relationship with his ex-wife.
Appeals Judges Lord Justice Dingemans and Lord Justice Underhill denied Depp’s bid of a retrial in a 14-page document.
They stated that the initial hearing before Judge Andrew Niccol was “full and fair.”
In addition to this, the trial judge “gave thorough reasons for his conclusions which have not been shown even arguably to be vitiated by any error of approach or mistake of law.”
The past five years have undoubtedly affected his career.
He was removed from the third installment of J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , in which he played evil wizard Grindelwald.
He was ultimately let go, which got a lot of fans very upset.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. decided to let him go after he lost his defamation suit against The Sun for referring to him as a “wife-beater.”
For the same reason, his latest film, *Minamata* hasn’t been given a U.S. release.
In the film, he plays W Eugene Smith, an American photojournalist who traveled to Japan to expose the devastating impact of mercury poisoning in the 1970s.
Depp spoke about the film and his standing in Hollywood with The Sunday Times .
He said that he “looked those 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.” In the end, Minamata only had a U.K. release.
“Some films touch people and this affects those in Minamata and people who experience similar things,” he continued.
He then delved into his current standing in Hollywood.
“And for anything … for Hollywood’s boycott of 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,” Depp added.
When asked if his character’s despair in the film resonated with him, Depp said:
“I didn’t approach playing Smith in that way . . . Although you bring your toolbox to work and use what is available. Having experienced . . . A surreal five years.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Depp touched on the aftermath of the libel suit and trying to navigate the “absurdity of media mathematics.”
He also made sure to thank his fans who are sticking by him. “They have always been my employers,” Depp said.
“I’m proud of these people, because of what they are trying to say, which is the truth,” he said.
“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.”
Now, we want to hear from you.
What do you think about this whole messy situation? Are you rooting for Depp to make a comeback?
Let us know down below in the comment section!
You can read Depp’s full interview here .
H/T: The Sunday Times .
