In his first interview since losing a libel case against British tabloid The Sun, Johnny Depp has claimed he is being boycotted by Hollywood.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Depp — who was accused of domestic violence by ex-wife Amber Heard — labelled his treatment by Hollywood as an “absurdity of media mathematics”.
As reported by Variety, Depp sought compensation from The Sun after the publication referred to him as a “wife-beater” in an article about his relationship with Heard.
Ultimately, he lost the case after the court ruled that The Sun had proved the content of its article to be “substantially true,” and the judge found that 12 of the 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence had indeed occurred.
Since then, Depp filmed the drama Minamata, where he stars as an American journalist who helped bring awareness to the effects of mercury poisoning on coastal communities in Japan during the 1970s.
After originally being slated to premiere in February this year, it is now unknown whether the film will receive a wide cinematic release in the US, although it will still be released in the UK.
“We looked these people in the eyeballs and promised we would not be exploitative, that the film would be respectful,” he said in reference to the film deserving a bigger audience.
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“I believe that we’ve kept our end of the bargain, but those who came in later should also maintain theirs,” he said.
“Some films touch people and this affects those in Minamata and people who experience similar things… and for anything … for Hollywood’s boycott of me? One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?”
He added that he is “moving towards where I need to go to make all that… to bring things to light.”
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Check out the trailer for Minamata, which Johnny Depp claims is being boycotted:
