“Cannes Film Festival General Delegate Comments on Johnny Depp’s Controversial Role in ‘Jeanne du Barry'”

In this film, the French director Maïwenn stages herself as the favorite of the king played by Johnny Depp, persona non grata on American sets since accusations of domestic violence then mutual accusations of defamation with his former wife Amber Heard.

“I don’t know the image of Johnny Depp in the United States”, declared Mr. Frémaux during a press conference, explaining that he had “a single conduct in life: the freedom to think, to speak, to act within the framework of the law”.

“I am the last person to be able to talk to you about all this, because, if there is a person in the world who was not interested in this very media trial (between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, editor’s note), it is me. I don’t know what it is, I’m interested in Depp as an actor”.

While the 76^e edition of the Cannes event will open in a still tense social climate in France, the general delegate also assured that the festival had “a good dialogue with the CGT”, which promised actions and mentioned power cuts.

“Regarding the things announced in the press about possible power cuts or social unrest […], we speak in a beautiful dialogue with the CGT. Nothing for the moment, as far as we are concerned, has been announced. We will see,” he added, recalling that Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne receives the unions on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Despite a prefectural decree prohibiting any demonstration in Cannes, in a restricted area around the Croisette during the Festival (from May 16 to 27), the CGT announced on Saturday various actions as part of its opposition to the pension reform.

Thus, Friday, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., it intends to bring together employees of the hotel sector for a fixed gathering, on the forecourt of the Carlton, a private place excluded from the ban taken by the prefecture.

The Cannes Film Festival is a place “both protected for 15 days and, at the same time, always the subject of a certain number of claims, because it echoes them more strongly”, further underlined Mr. Frémaux adding that ‘there will be demands or moments of expression’.