Johnny Depp was, without a doubt, destined to be one of the greatest actors of his generation, if not the best. From family films like “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” to gangster movies like “Black Mass,” he was able to portray any type of character in any genre, but his rise to stardom was cut short.
When Amber Heard filed for divorce from Depp in 2016, that end was just the beginning of what would become one of the most media-followed trials of the past two decades, resulting in a mixed verdict in which the jury largely sided with Depp but also gave Heard a partial victory.
However, regardless of the verdict, the actor could never return to the peak of his career, as many of his then-current projects fell through, and he was considered unwelcome by many big players in the entertainment industry. Now, he is attempting to reboot his career in Rome, and during a screening of his latest project, the period drama “Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness,” he explained to The Hollywood Reporter what he learned from those dark times.
Tumultuous legal struggles have taught Johnny Depp important lessons
In his interview, the actor explained how he felt both similar to and different from the subject of his picture, Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. The interviewer compared his retreat into the wilderness to Depp taking a step back from Hollywood after the trial and disappearing for a while. The latter stated that such retreat taught him a lot and elaborated further.
Johnny Depp poses for the photographer during the 19th Rome Film Festival at Auditorium Parco Della Musica on October 26, 2024 in Rome, Italy. (Source: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
“Honestly, I can sit here this very second and think about all the hit pieces, and how everybody was against me, and yeah yeah yeah he is off the map … endless stuff. I can remember it all. Went through it all. Some of it was not the most beautiful time, some of it was hilarious. Some of it was mad. The thing is, it simply just was, and it simply just is. So, for me, it happened. I learned, man. Everything that we experience, whether you’re given a snow cone or walking your dog, you learn something somewhere along the way. So I don’t have any ill feelings toward anyone. I don’t have this great reserve of hatred, because hatred requires caring. Why carry that baggage?”
The Tim Burton muse continued to say that acting was the thing that helped him the most during the worst times of his legal battles, as he was able to escape and immerse himself in a fictional character. However, he emphasized that he had no interest in returning to the mental intensity of those days, which he considers left in the past.
Depp did not entirely stay out of the business since the chaos erupted in 2018, doing voice work for the animated series “Puffies” and starring as Louis XV in the 2023 French period drama “Jeanne du Barry.” However, the star has not yet returned to his usual Hollywood roles, but he is set to do so in Terry Gilliam’s The “Carnival at the End of Days,” where he is slated to play Satan.
