Johnny Depp says he’s being boycotted by Hollywood as he calls his situation ‘unpleasant and messy’
Actor appears to express disappointment that his film ‘Minamata’ has yet to be released in the US
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Johnny Depp has revealed he feels he is being boycotted by Hollywood, as the US remains the only territory yet to release his new film, Minamata.
The 58-year-old stars in the movie as W Eugene Smith, the photographer who helped expose the mercury poisoning scandal in the Japanese town, Minamata.
Director Andrew Lewis had previously accused MGM of “burying” the movie due to Depp’s ongoing personal problems in an open letter last month.
He claimed the studio was concerned that “the personal issues of an actor in the film could reflect negatively upon them”, later accusing MGM of failing in its “moral obligation” to release the film and demanding they explain to the victims “why you think an actor’s personal life is more important than their dead children”.
MGM responded by saying Minamata continued to be among future releases but its release date was “TBA”.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Depp spoke about his current position in the film industry.
“We looked these people in the eyeballs and promised we would not be exploitative,” he said of Minamata. “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,” he continued. “And this affects those in Minamata and people who experience similar things. 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?”
The interview noted that Depp trailed off before adding: “But, you know, I’m moving towards where I need to go to make all that... To bring things to light.”
In November last year, Depp lost a libel lawsuit in London against The Sun’s publisher after a 2018 headline labelled him a “wife beater” in relation to his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Depp also lost a bid to overturn the High Court ruling in March this year.
Earlier this month, however, he scored a rare legal victory as he seeks to discover whether Heard carried out her pledge to donate the proceeds of her $7m (£5m) divorce settlement to charity.