Johnny Depp denounces “cancellation of culture” before receiving first prize in San Sebastian

SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain, September 22 (Reuters) – No one is immune to the so-called “cancellation culture,” movie star Johnny Depp told the San Sebastian Film Festival on Wednesday where he was scheduled to receive the first prize of the event for its almost 40 years. -year of career on the screen.

Depp, 58, lost a defamation battle with a British tabloid which called him a “woman’s beater” last year, when a London court ruled that he had repeatedly assaulted his former partner , American actress Amber Heard.

Since then, the actor has complained that he was boycotted by Hollywood as his latest film “Minamata” struggled to get a US release. Read more

On Wednesday, Depp denounced “this cancellation of cultivation or this instant rush to judgment based essentially on what amounts to polluted air that is exhaled.”

“I’m going to go to someone’s house man. I’m going to play your kid’s birthday party at this point,” he said at a press conference shortly. before a ceremony during which he would receive the Donostia Prize, the highest distinction of San Sebastián.

“No one is safe as long as someone is willing to say a sentence. It takes a sentence.”

Depp became a Hollywood star in the 1990s with portraits of loners and strangers in cult classics such as “Cry Baby” by John Waters and “Edward Scissorhands” by Tim Burton.

He became a household name with the Disney “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, playing fan favorite Jack Sparrow.

But he was replaced from the third film in the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise following the verdict against him in the London libel lawsuit.

Feminist groups and film industry associations criticized the festival’s decision to honor Depp when the award was announced in August.

The CIMA association of women filmmakers and audiovisual professionals considered that it was “an error from an ethical point of view”.

Responding to that criticism, festival director Jose Luis Rebordinos said the award was a reflection of Depp’s cinematic achievements and unrelated to his personal life.

“The role of a film festival is not to judge the conduct of members of the film industry,” he said at the time.

Depp is the second recipient of this honor this year. French actress Marion Cotillard received the statue from Spanish actress Penelope Cruz on Friday.

Reporting by Vincent West; Additional reporting by Nathan Allen; Editing by Richard Chang

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