Johnny Depp became emotional after receiving a seven-minute standing ovation for his movie, Jeanne Du Barry, at the Cannes Film Festival.
Depp’s first significant cinematic appearance since his historic defamation lawsuit with ex-wife Amber Heard in 2022 marked the film’s premiere.
The actor, who arrived at the event with slicked-back hair, a ponytail, and sunglasses, was flanked by a security detail for more than five minutes while he signed autographs and posed for photos with delighted fans.
The audience cheered and extended acclaim as the movie ended while the Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean actor, fought back tears.
The French biographical drama, written and directed by Mawenn, stars the actor, 59, as King Louis XV. Mawenn, who plays King Louis’ girlfriend opposite Depp, momentarily took the stage and got tearful as she delivered a few things.
“I want to share this moment with my lover, producer, and Le Pacte,” she explained. “It was a difficult production to fund… and I want to share this moment with my entire theatre crew.”
The reviews shattered the bright picture painted by some for the film.
“Depp’s casting offers a few early thrills and then mostly yawns,” observed Hollywood Reporter writer Jordan Mintzer, “with Depp dishing out what feels like a total of a dozen lines in respectable French while remaining mute.”
“His performance isn’t bad, nor is Mawenn’s in the lead role,” Mintzer noted. “However, like the film, the two rarely get our pulse racing.”
Ben Croll of IndieWire says, “Though performing wholly in French and given ample screen time, the American star [Depp] leaves a strangely scant impression, offering a dim and muted turn that plays off his wider reputation in often fascinating ways.”
“Depp is hardly the first Hollywood outcast to find work in Europe,” wrote Telegraph reviewer Robbie Collin, “but it would be a stretch to say this feels like the first spark of a glorious comeback.”