As he collected a prize at a film festival in Spain, Johnny Depp stressed that “no one is safe” from cancel culture.
While chatting with journalists at the San Sebastian International Film Festival on Wednesday, the Hollywood star — who lost a libel case against a UK tabloid that called him a “wife beater” — appeared to make a reference to the #MeToo movement.
“It can be seen as an event in history that lasted for however long it lasted, this cancel culture, this instant rush to judgement based on what essentially amounts to polluted air,” he said ahead of accepting the honorary Donostia Award.
“It’s so far out of hand now that I can promise you that no one is safe. Not one of you. No one out that door. No one is safe,” he continued. “It takes one sentence and there’s no more ground, the carpet has been pulled. It’s not just me that this has happened to, it’s happened to a lot of people. This type of thing has happened to women, men. Sadly at a certain point they begin to think that it’s normal. Or that it’s them. When it’s not.”
Depp sued The Sun’s publisher over accusations that he was abusive to Heard during their tumultuous two-year marriage, but the sordid details of his private life that surfaced during the libel trial harmed his reputation after he lost the case.
The judge decided in favor of the newspaper, stating that there was significant evidence — including Heard’s restraining order against Depp — that he had been abusive to her and that she “feared for her life.”
It doesn’t matter if a judgement, per se, has taken some artistic license. When there’s an injustice, whether it’s against you or someone you love, or someone you believe in – stand up, don’t sit down. ‘Cause they need you“It doesn’t matter if a judgement, per se, has taken some artistic license,” Depp remarked.
Following the 16-day libel trial, Depp said he was asked to leave the “Fantastic Beasts” movie franchise. The actor’s attempt to have the libel decision overturned was unsuccessful.
The singer, who has a social media following of 11.1 million, posted his resignation letter on Instagram.
San Sebastian presented Depp with the Donostia Award, which honours “outstanding contributions to the film world” throughout a lifetime.
Female filmmakers and others had slammed the festival’s choice to award Depp with the Donostia Award, the event’s top accolade, claiming it tainted the event’s reputation and sent the wrong message to victims of gender abuse.
The Association of Female Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media in Spain, which has strong ties to the festival, has stated that prizes should not be given only on the basis of professional or creative accomplishments.
“What is the message that remains when men denounced for sexist violence are applauded, photographed on red carpets, surrounded by unconditional fans?” the group, known as CIMA, recognized the “complexity” of the problem in a Twitter thread.
Depp was relatively low-energy during today’s press conference, but he seemed willing to engage with the assembled journalists, clapping everyone in the room as he entered, and didn’t seem to mind addressing sensitive topics, which have been a source of contention for the actor at this point in his career.
Depp also said at a press conference at the festival that Hollywood had become too commercial for his tastes. “From my point of view, as someone who does take part in the creation and collaboration of making cinema, how much more formula do we need from the likes of studios? How much more condescension as an audience do we need with regard to, ‘OK folks, we’re now going to hit you with the whole plot of the story every 20 minutes.’ I think that Hollywood has grotesquely underestimated the audience,” he argued.
Actors Meryl Streep, Richard Gere, Ian McKellen, and Robert De Niro have all received the Donostia prize, the festival’s top honor, which is named after the Basque term for the seaside town of San Sebastián.
