Lorraine Kelly praises Brie Larson for response to ‘awkward’ Johnny Depp question

‘You’re asking me that?’ actor questioned journalist at press conference on Tuesday

Lorraine Kelly has praised actor Brie Larson for shutting down a question about Johnny Depp at the Cannes Film Festival.

On Tuesday (16 May), Larson was appearing on a panel as a member of the competition’s jury, when she was asked how she felt about Depp’s new film Jeanne du Barry opening the festival.

“You’re asking me that? I’m sorry, I don’t understand the correlation or why me specifically,” the Captain Marvel star replied, looking somewhat baffled.

When the journalist explained that he was asking due to Larson’s support for the Time’s Up movement, Larson responded: “Understood. Well, you’ll see, I guess, if I see it, and I don’t know how I’ll feel about it if I do.”

Larson was praised online for her response to the question, with Kelly joining the actor’s supporters on Wednesday’s episode (17 May) of Lorraine.

Describing how Larson had been “taken aback” by the line of questioning, Kelly said: “That’s the way to shut down an awkward question.”

“Well done Brie,” she added.

Directed by French filmmaker Maïwenn, Jeanne du Barry tells the story of King Louis XV’s mistress Jeanne Vaubernier, with Depp playing the French king.

Larson is on the jury at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (Getty Images)

The French-language film opened the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday (16 May) night, with Depp “tearing up” as the film was met with a seven-minute standing ovation.

While the film was met with mixed responses from critics in attendance, The Independent’s Geoffrey Macnab gave it a four-star review, calling Jeanne du Barry “surprisingly great”.

Depp’s appearance marks his first lead role since winning his highly publicised defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard last year.

Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux has defended the “controversial choice” to have Depp’s film open the festival several times.

“I don’t know about the image of Johnny Depp in the US,” he recently said. “To tell you the truth, in my life, I only have one rule, it’s the freedom of thinking, and the freedom of speech and acting within a legal framework.”