A rockstar welcome, even if Johnny Depp was annoyed each time with the punctuality. The star of
Pirates of the Caribbean,
whose star has been tarnished by accusations of domestic violence, fevered the 47th American Film Festival in Deauville, gathering hundreds of devoted fans there. The actor presented a masterclass there on Sunday, then the film
City Of Lies
. The thriller features the two-decade struggle of an inspector (Johnny Depp) and a journalist (Laurence Fishburne) around the 1997 assassination of rapper Notorious BIG and the possible involvement in the murder of corrupt officers from Los Angeles Police and a gang-infiltrated institution including that of powerful rap producer Suge Knight.
Shot in 2018,
Brad Furman's
City Of Lies
(The Lincoln Defense)
sat on a shelf for three years before being released on the sly in American theaters last March. Difficulties that Johnny Depp compared to a "kidnapping".
“I am very honored to be invited and proud of this film, kidnapped for three years, because there were people (...) in Hollywood ... For three years, the film was dead. We found the film ”,
explained the actor in a French a little hesitant. However, he appeared much more fit than during his time on the boards in 2019, where he appeared dazed.
The film directed by Brad Furman brings more questions than answers about the circumstances of the murder of Notorious BIG which one has often connected with that of his colleague and rival of the East coast Tupac. In both cases, the culprits were never found. Mixing fiction and archival images,
City Of Lies
entangles temporalities and proves difficult to access and of a very classic style. The shooting had not been without turpitude. Johnny Depp had been accused by one of those responsible for spotting the sets of having hit him while drunk. The complaint is cited by some as the reason for the film's postponement. For its part, the tabloid
Daily Beast
felt that the producers must have received pressure from the Los Angeles police force to block the release of the feature film.
Tribute to France and Vanessa Paradis
Despite his legal setbacks and his banishment from Hollywood - he had to leave the Warner franchise from
Harry Potter,
Fantastic Beasts
and only turns sparingly in independent films - Johnny Depp 58 years old, was able to measure over this Sunday that his popularity was intact with his French fans.
They did not hold it against him for his hour of systematic delay to his conference, then to the premiere of
City Of Lies
.
To make up for it, the actor took his time signing autographs.
To try to stay on time, his bodyguards encouraged him to speed up.
During his masterclass, Sunday in Deauville.
LOIC VENANCE / AFP
In all, 300 people, some even from Savoy, attended the masterclass of the muse of Tim Burton. Asked about the reasons for his love for France, Johnny Depp triggered the cheers:
"The people, the culture, the happiness, the appreciation of every day ... Every day is adoration, every day c 'is a celebration and that I only find in France and so thank you for that! And I also owe him my children and Vanessa [Paradis, his ex-partner]! ”
. During this conference, Johnny Depp spoke above all about the beginnings of his career with Tim Burton, a collaboration which was forged around
Edward in the Silver Hands
in 1989. "
This scenario made me cry like an infant.
I did not feel so capable that I canceled our first meeting, ”
said the actor.
He also returned to the horrified reactions of Disney when its managers discovered his first takes in Jack Sparrow, staggering and mumbling, for
Pirates of the Caribbean
.
European tour
Little said about his current setbacks with his ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp has all the time released small pikes towards the bosses of the studios:
“I do not like the word fan which I find degrading. Those who decide to go to the movies with their hard earned money are my employers. The studios need to understand that, that you are their employer. ”
Persona non grata on American red carpets, Johnny Depp has embarked on a comeback tour of European festivals. After Karlovy Vary and Deauville, he is expected in San Sebastian in Spain in two weeks. In the hope of restoring its image and reconnecting with major roles?