Jeanne du Barry Director Clarifies ‘Scary’ Johnny Depp Comments, Slams Original Interview for Misinterpreting Comments

Summary

• Maïwenn clarified that when she called Johnny Depp “scary,” she meant his impressive charisma and star status, not negative intimidation.
• She admires Depp’s talent, comparing him to Marlon Brando for his genius, sufferings, generosity, and paradoxes, despite any on-set arguments.
• Depp himself is critical of big budget movies, indicating his desire to distance himself from franchises and pursue more independent projects.

Jeanne du Barry director Maïwenn has clarified comments made about “scary” Johnny Depp in an interview with The Independent last week, slamming the tabloid for not grasping “the subtlety” of her view of the actor. In the interview at the time, the French director and star of the movie noted that the crew “were afraid” of Depp, and he would frequently attempt to rewrite parts of the script. However, speaking to Variety, Maïwenn dismissed the way the interview had been interpreted, and shared her disappointment at the way the article was written. She said:

“When I made a remark about Johnny being ‘scary,’ I was talking about his charisma, his notoriety, his star status, etc. [I] was shocked when I discovered that the newspaper had headlined that ‘The crew were afraid of [Johnny Depp]’ because written like that, and without its context and subtleties, it absolutely no longer means the same thing. The journalist did not want to grasp the subtlety of my words.”

Jeanne du Barry

Jeanne du Barry is a historical drama that tells the story of the titular character who, on her journey out of the clutches of poverty, catches the eye of King Louis XV. Concealing her identity from him, Jeanne earns his favor, and the two fall in love, but upon moving to Versailles to deepen their relationship, scandal strikes France’s court.

Release Date May 2, 2024

Director Maïwenn

Cast Maïwenn , Johnny Depp , Pierre Richard , Melvil Poupaud , Pascal Greggory , Benjamin Lavernhe

Runtime 116 Minutes

Writers Maïwenn , Teddy Lussi-Modeste , Nicolas Livecchi

Budget $22.4 Million

Studio(s) Why Not Productions

Distributor(s) Vertical Entertainment

Clarifying that she had perhaps used the incorrect words to describe Depp’s presence on set, she added:

I would like to make things very clear: Johnny is ‘scary’ in the sense that his charisma and his status as “king” is impressive,I should have used the word ‘impressive’ if I had known [the writer] Charlotte O’Sullivan would use my words in such a malicious way.

Johnny Depp is Compared to Marlon Brando by His Jeanne Du Barry Co-Star

Why Not Productions/France 2 Cinema

In her new interview, Maïwenn continued to heap praise on Depp, dispelling rumors of on-set tensions while admitting that there had been the occasional argument. She continued:

“I want to be very clear: Johnny Depp is a huge actor. One of the greatest. He reminded me a lot of Brando – his genius and sufferings, his generosity and paradoxes. Even though we argued several times on set, he’s someone I totally respect and admire, and it’s important for me to correct my own narrative because I feel really betrayed by this interview with Charlotte O’Sullivan. Johnny Depp is a celebrity and a genius and yes, that sometimes can scare some people.”

Following his legal battles with Amber Heard, Depp has distanced himself from the world of big budget franchise movies, recently slamming the amount of money that is pumped into blockbuster movies. He said:

“They’re disposable and they realize it. Glorified accountants who have the ability to press the green light and make studio films… but they press the green light, they spent sh*tloads of money. Budgets are ridiculous on these films… some romantic comedy with two very popular people. People – the real people – they’re sick of it.”

Related Johnny Depp Responds to Allegations of Bad Behavior On Set of 23-Year-Old Movie Blow actress Lola Glaudini said in a recent podcast that Depp called her a “f*cking idiot” after she laughed on set on her first day on set.

Although some fans still have not quite let go of the idea of Depp returning to the role Jack Sparrow in a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, it does seem that the actor is quite happy to steer his own ship away from those movies in the foreseeable future. He has recently been working on his new movie Modi, which is his first directorial effort in 25 years and stars Al Pacino as the painter Amedeo Modigliani.

Jeanne du Barry
is released in the US on May 2.

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