Johnny Depp's Response to Cannes Appearance Backlash Sparks Laughs

Johnny Depp drew laughs from journalists with a bizarre statement comparing his presence at the Cannes Film Festival to eating McDonald's.

The actor was at the 2023 festival for the world premiere of his new movie Jeanne du Barry—his first since last year's defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard.

During a press conference he was asked what he'd say to people who think he shouldn't be at the festival. He proposed an unusual hypothetical with his response.

"So we're talking theoretically about what would I do if there were people who didn't want me to come to the Cannes Film Festival?" Depp said, answering a journalist's question.

"What if one day, they did not allow me, under no circumstances, no matter what, I cannot go to McDonald's, for life," he said.

The response drew some chuckles and Depp continued, "because somewhere if you got them all in one room there'll be 39 angry people watching me eat a Big Mac on a loop. Just for fun. Who are they? Why do they care?"

He added: "Some kind of, some species. Some tower of mashed potatoes. Covering the light of a computer screen. Anonymous, with apparently a lot of spare time. I don't think I'm the one who should be worried. I think people should think about what it's all about really."

Depp's answer to this question was shared multiple times online, and drew comments from both fans and detractors.

"I just don't get why they have to keep referring back to legal case now," Instagram user @shazziemay wrote, insisting that because Depp had won, he shouldn't have to discuss it any more.

"I loved the way he handled the question and himself though," they added.

Other Depp fans believed his comment about mashed potatoes was a reference to Heard's claim that Depp smeared mashed potatoes and gravy around their house in Australia during an incident which saw him lose part of his finger.

In April and May 2022, the world watched as details of Depp and Heard's marriage, including the story of Depp's severed finger, were made public in a multi-million dollar defamation trial. Depp sued his ex-wife for a 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post that insinuated Depp was guilty of sexual violence and domestic abuse during their marriage. The jury sided with Depp, though they also deemed that Heard had been defamed in another smaller case.

Both sides appealed the verdict and in December 2022 reached a settlement.

While many of Depp's fans praised the actor for his answer in Cannes, others were less impressed.

"This is how I know he's not a survivor," wrote verified Twitter user Zandra, while Vegetano1 simply shared three barfing emojis.

After Depp's answer at Cannes, some fans dug up an old tweet by McDonald's, posted on January 24, 2021. Twitter user @axelsbabeylamb had said: "I want to eat McDonald's with Johnny Depp."

McDonald's simply replied: "Same."

Update 5/17/23, 11:05 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with details of online comments by Depp's fans and detractors.