Johnny Depp says he's being blacklisted by Hollywood amid his ongoing legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard.
"Some films touch people and this affects those in Minamata and people who experience similar things," Depp said while discussing his latest film, Minamata, in an interview with The Sunday Times. "And for anything... for Hollywood's boycott of me? One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?"
Depp added, however, that he is "moving towards where I need to go to make all that... to bring things to light."
Last year, Depp lost a libel case against British tabloid The Sun over an article in which the publication referred to the actor as a "wife-beater." Depp responded by requesting an appeal from the British Court of Appeals, saying at the time, "The surreal judgment of the court in the U.K. will not change my fight to tell the truth, and I confirm that I plan to appeal."
In addition to being denied that appeal, Depp was previously forced to exit the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise and MGM decided to temporarily shelve the Andrew Levitas-directed Minamata.
Depp's fans defended the actor in March 2021 by launching a Change.org petition demanding Jack Sparrow's return to Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Among other things, the petition writer explained, "He has been playing this role since 2003 when we first saw him arriving at the Port Royal in his boat with that epic background music playing. But can you imagine no Jack Sparrow at all? No epic entry scores, no humorous dialogues and the guy with the most good and bad luck at the same time?" The petition has garnered more than 600,000 signatures to date.
The actor also achieved a small victory in May 2021, when he won a legal ruling from a New York judge, forcing the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to reveal how much money Heard donated to the organization after claiming that she donated half of her divorce settlement with Depp to the civil rights defense group. Depp's attorney released a statement on the ruling that read, "Mr. Depp is most gratified by the Court's decision."
Directed by Andrew Levitas, Minamata stars Depp as American photojournalist W. Eugene Smith, who helped document and expose the impact of mercury poisoning on coastal communities in Japan in the '70s. The film has yet to receive a U.S. release date.
Source: The Sunday Times via The Hollywood Reporter