Johnny Depp Talks Boycott, Comeback & Controversy at Cannes Press Conference

Johnny Depp was in the hot seat Tuesday at a Cannes Film Festival press conference as he promoted his new film "Jeanne du Barry.”

Depp was asked about boycotts, comebacks, and his controversial presence at the festival… all on the heels of a seven-minute standing ovation he received just the day before.

The press conference marks his first since his ugly courtroom battle with ex-wife Amber Heard last year.

A reporter asked if he still felt boycotted by Hollywood, after telling The Sunday Times that in 2021.

Depp, who lost roles in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Fantastic Beasts” franchises,  answered, "Did I feel a boycott by Hollywood? Well, you'd have to not have a pulse to feel at that point, 'None of this is happening, this is actually just a weird joke, you've been asleep for 35 years, so just let the weirdness commence.' Of course, when you're asked to resign from a film you're doing, because of something that is merely a bunch of vowels and consonants floating in the air, you feel a bit boycotted."

He continued, "Do I feel boycotted now? No, not at all. But I don't feel boycotted by Hollywood because I don't think about it. I don't think about Hollywood. I don't have much further need for Hollywood myself. It's a very strange, funny time where everybody would love to be themselves but they can't because they must fall in line with the person in front of them. You wanna live that kind of life, I wish you the best. I'll be on the other side somewhere."

As for this being a “comeback,” Johnny insisted, "I didn't go nowhere. I've been sitting around… So 'comeback,' it's almost like I'm going to come out and do a tap dance or some kind of spectacular feat on the table and dance my best for you guys, and hope that you will approve. The notion of something like that is a bizarre mystery."

When asked about the controversy surrounding his presence at the festival and how he would respond to anyone who felt he shouldn’t be there, Depp gave an abstract answer.

He said, "What if one day they did not allow me, under no circumstances, no matter what, I cannot go to McDonald's for life because somewhere, if you got them all in one room, there'd be 39 angry people watching me eat a Big Mac on a loop just for fun? Who are they? Why do they care? Some kind of species, some tower of mashed potatoes, covering the light of a computer screen, anonymous with apparently a lot of spare time. I don't think I'm the one who should be worried. I think people should really think about what it's all about really."

As for promoting the film amid controversy, Johnny said, "The circus part is the weirdest part because it's sort of like... you believe what you believe, the truth is the truth. We're all here because we made a film, not because we have a product to sell. Everything that the majority of you have been reading for the five to six years — with regard to me and my life — the majority of what you've read is fantastically, horrifically written fiction.”

Depp plays Louis XV in "Jeanne du Barry,” about the illegitimate daughter of an impoverished seamstress who becomes the King’s last official mistress.