In recent months, Johnny Depp skimmed more trial rooms than dark rooms. The management of a well-known film festival decided to remedy this. The Hollywood star will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain, organizers said on Monday. The 58-year-old American actor, famous in particular for his incarnation of Jack Sparrow in
Pirate of the Caribbean
but also for the recent legal saga which pitted him against a tabloid against a background of domestic violence, will be rewarded with the honor of festival, the Donostia Prize, in "
recognition of his career
" during the ceremony on September 22, according to a statement.
Read also: Johnny Depp thrown overboard from the
Pirates of the Caribbean
saga
The Donostia Prize (the Basque name for San Sebastian, a seaside town in northern Spain hosting the festival) was first awarded in 1986. It has previously awarded Meryl Streep, Richard Gere, Ian McKellen or again Robert De Niro.
In November 2020, Johnny Depp lost his libel case in London against the tabloid The Sun, which described him as an abusive husband towards his ex-wife Amber Heard. The trial, revealing in detail the elements of the private life of the couple and Johnny Depp's difficulties with alcohol and drugs, had dealt a serious blow to the reputation of the actor. The judge had ruled in favor of the tabloid, considering that the Sun's qualifications were "
substantially true
" because "
the vast majority of the alleged assaults have been proven
".
Following the judgment which he described as "
surreal
", the American actor had to give up his role in the next film in the
Fantastic Beasts
series
, adapted from the works of the author of Harry Potter, JK Rowling. .
Read also: After his legal setback, Johnny Depp is chased away from
Fantastic Beasts
The judge had also asked Johnny Depp to pay 628,000 pounds (705,000 euros) in legal costs to News Group Newspapers, the publisher of the
Sun
.
The San Sebastian International Film Festival, originally created to recognize films in the Spanish language, has become a staple in the world of cinema.
Its 69th edition will take place from September 17 to 25.