The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival got off to a controversial start when Maïwenn’s “Jeanne du Barry” played as the opening night selection last month. The period piece, which features Johnny Depp in a supporting role as French monarch Louis XV alongside Maïwenn’s eponymous protagonist, attracted as much attention for its cast’s personal lives as its artistic merit.
The film marks Depp’s first major acting role in years, following his acrimonious defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard and widespread reporting about unprofessional behavior on movie sets. His director and co-star also found herself in the headlines before the film’s premiere for assaulting a journalist at a restaurant in France.
The film premiered to moderate reviews and eventually secured an American distribution deal from Vertical. Depp’s colorful press conference at the festival attracted plenty of attention, and film industry observers have begun to speculate about the actor making a larger Hollywood comeback in the near future.
A new behind-the-scenes Instagram video released by photographer Greg Williams shows Depp getting ready for his Cannes appearance and opening up about the experience of returning to the storied festival.
“Walking up the steps at the thing, I’ve done it a few times with different films over many years,” Depp said of returning to Cannes. “It’s quite beautiful, when you’re at the receiving end, you just feel like, initially you feel fucking exposed.”
Depp continued to push back against the notion that his return to acting is a “comeback,” saying that he never attempted to leave Hollywood despite the hit that his reputation took.
“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,” Depp said. “I didn’t go nowhere. Maybe I was not thought of or looked at or allowed to be looked at.”
The actor explained that he was well aware of the way his recent scandals have impacted the public’s perception of him, but expressed confidence in his ability to continually bounce back from his failures.
“People can hit the bottom many times,” he said. “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?”
