Brie Larson was left stunned after being asked to share her thoughts on Johnny Depp’s film opening the Cannes Film Festival.
The 33-year-old Captain Marvel actress - who is a Cannes juror - was at a press conference on Tuesday (May 16) with the festival’s jurors when she was questioned if she would see the 59-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean star's new film.
The actor portrayed Louis XV in Jeanne du Barry, which is his first leading role since his highly publicized trial last year with Amber Heard. The historical drama was directed and co-starred by the French actor-director Maïwenn.
The movie had its world premiere yesterday night so beforehand, a journalist took it upon themselves to ask Larson if she will attend it due to her position at the festival.
Watch the moment below:However, the Room actress was taken aback by the question and responded: "You’re asking me that? I’m sorry, I don’t understand the correlation or why me specifically."
The reporter clarified his intended connection by bringing up the actress' vocal advocacy for the Times Up movement, a non-profit organization formed to support victims of sexual harassment and boost female voices in Hollywood.
Larson then said "understood" in acknowledgment and added: "Well, you’ll see, I guess, if I see it, and I don’t know how I’ll feel about it if I do."
Upon seeing the video, many users on social media defended the Fast X star and commended her response. One person said: "That is a loaded question. They know there are certain contingencies of the internet that don’t like her and this is bait."
Another user remarked: "Brie Larson herself has been and still is a victim of an insane misogynistic campaign so I actually get why she would choose to be vague and evasive with her answers because whatever she says, on top of what she already experiences, especially online, she's not gonna win."
A third commented: "Let's drag this innocent woman Brie Larson into an argument that has nothing to do with her to sell article clicks. That's all that reporter did."
The Oscar-winning star has been an outspoken advocate of #MeToo and victims of sexual assault. She was famously known for refusing to clap for Casey Affleck - who was sued by two women for allegations of harassment - after he won an academy award in 2017.
Larson was asked that question at the press conference as the Edwards Scissorhands actor experienced a fallout from Hollywood that began after he lost a UK libel case in 2020 that involved Heard's abuse allegations.
In 2022, Depp sued Heard for defamation, claiming that she had falsely implied he was abusive towards her in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. He then ultimately won the Virginia trial after a jury found that the 37-year-old Aquaman actress' had defamed him and awarded him $10 million in compensatory damages.
The Fantastic Beasts actor's appearance at Cannes has been met with backlash since the announcement to screen his film. However, the festival director Thierry Fremaux defended the controversial choice by remarking that it was a matter of free expression and saying that he paid no attention to the trial.
"I don’t know about the image of Johnny Depp in the U.S.," he said during a separate press conference, per Variety. "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 act within a legal framework."