Johnny Depp says Hollywood is boycotting him after his latest film still hasn’t been able to find its way into U.S. theaters.
Depp’s latest film, Minamata, follows a photojournalist in the ‘70s who documents the effects industrial pollution had on the people of Minamata. In late July, MGM said that “Minamata continues to be among future [American International Pictures] releases and at this time, the film’s U.S. release date is TBA.”
Speaking with The Sunday Times, Depp claims that pause may be in part due to his public image.
“Some films touch people… and this affects those in Minamata and people who experience similar things,” Depp said. “And for anything… for Hollywood’s boycott of, erm, me? One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?”
As the publication reports, the chat was Depp’s first interview with the press since his losing libel case against News Group Newspapers in 2018, after The Sun called Depp a “wife beater” in an article that touched on the allegations made against him by his ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp has denied those allegations of abuse, later accusing her of violence.
Just this month, the San Sebastian Film Festival was called out by Spain’s Association of Female Filmmakers for awarding the actor a lifetime achievement award, claiming that it “speaks very badly of the festival and its leadership and transmits a terrible message to the public.”
“It’s important that the movie gets seen and supported,” Director Andrew Levitas told The Times. “And if I get an inkling it’s not going to be, it’s my responsibility to say so. Where it goes from there? I don’t know. But we have responsibility to these victims….”
