Johnny Depp says he has 'no need' for Hollywood as he discusses his future

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By Asiya Ali

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Johnny Depp has shared his thoughts on Hollywood after making an appearance at Cannes Film Festival this week.

On Tuesday (May 16), the 59-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean actor attended the 76th Film Festival for the world premiere of his new film Jeanne du Barry.

The historical drama sees Depp play King Louis XV alongside French director and actress Maïwenn in his first leading role since his highly publicized trial last year with Amber Heard.

One day after the prestigious festival's opening night, the actor opened up about whether he feels "boycotted" by the movie industry and revealed that he has no plans to return to studio projects.

Watch Depp's press conference below:

Speaking at a press conference, the Fantastic Beasts star said: "I don't feel boycotted by Hollywood, because I don't think about Hollywood. I don't have much further need for Hollywood, myself.

"It's a strange, funny time where everybody would love to be able to be themselves, but they can't. They must fall in line with the person in front of them. If you want to live that life, I wish you the best," he continued.

The controversial actor went on to address what it was like being asked to "resign" from a film and stated: "Did I feel boycotted by Hollywood? You'd have to not have a pulse to feel like, 'No. None of this is happening. It's a weird joke.'

"When you're asked to resign from a film you're doing because of something that is merely a function of vowels and consonants floating in the air, yes, you feel boycotted," he added.

The Edwards Scissorhands star - who reportedly signed a $20 million fragrance deal - also clapped back at the backlash towards him being given a major platform at Cannes.

"What if one day, they did not allow me to go to McDonald's for life because somewhere there'd be 39 angry people watching me eat a Big Mac on a loop?", he asked. "Who are they? What do they care?"

Furthermore, Depp remarked that he doesn't think that his career went anywhere for him to have a "comeback," and instead remarked: "As a matter of fact, I live about 45 minutes away. Maybe people stopped calling out of whatever their fear was at the time. But I didn't go nowhere."

Back in 2022, Depp sued his 37-year-old ex-wife 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 Aquaman actress had defamed him and awarded him $10 million in compensatory damages.

While his appearance at the French film festival was met with criticism on social media, the star received a seven-minute standing ovation which left him very emotional.

Featured image credit: Abaca Press / Alamy