Johnny Depp Plans to Reinvent His Image in New Films after Reportedly Facing Hollywood Boycott amid Amber Heard Case

In a recent interview, Johnny Depp addressed needing to reinvent himself and his career after his lengthy abuse case against ex-wife Amber Heard. He lost his libel case against a tabloid last year.

Johnny Depp, 58, was recently interviewed by “The Times,” and the piece was featured in the publication on Saturday. The actor was interviewed virtually via Zoom from his London home.

In November 2020, Depp had a libel case against “The Sun” after the tabloid described him as a “wife-beater” in an April 2018 article. A British High Court judge ruled that the description was "substantially true."

The ruling came after Depp and his ex-wife, Amber Heard, 35, gave their individual testimonies. The pair fought in court for more than five years after she accused him of domestic abuse while they were married.

The judge ruled that 12 out of the 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence had indeed occurred. Some of the repercussions that Depp has faced since the accusations began included him being cut out of movies.

For instance, the actor was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen as the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in Warner Bros. "Fantastic Beasts" franchise. However, he did manage to land a role in the film "Minamata."

The movie, which finished production in 2019, focuses on Life photographer W. Eugene Smith's uncovering of Japanese villagers' early 1970s mercury poisoning. The film was recently released worldwide.

However, MGM will not release it in the US. MGM had actually bought “Minamata” for the US market, and said February 2021 was the release date for the film, then changed it to “To Be Announced.”

The Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival also said it would pay tribute to [Johnny] Depp.

“The Times” noted how Depp now had to convince Hollywood that he wasn’t toxic amid the #MeToo era as he rebuilds his career. His interview with “The Times” was his first one since last year’s libel case.

Despite feeling like Hollywood was shutting him out, “The Pirates of the Caribbean” actor is staying focused and vowed that his latest film wouldn’t be his last one and that he was reinventing himself, stating:

“No. No. Actually, I look forward to the next few films I make to be my first films, in a way.”

Depp might be struggling with regaining his footing in the US, but not all countries are rejecting him. Last week, The San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain announced that it would honor the actor with a lifetime award.

On top of that, the Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival also said it would pay tribute to Depp. The “Edward Scissorhands” star’s $50 million defamation suit against Heard will go to trial in April 2022,