‘Jeanne du Barry’ Director Didn’t Want Johnny Depp as Lead, Planned for French Actor to Play Louis XV
Johnny Depp makes an epic comeback after his highly publicized legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard. The French director Maiwenn and the very talented actor teamed up for the movie Jeanne du Barry which received a seven-minute standing ovation from the audience at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday night. The audience is still in awe of the performance they witnessed in front of them on the silver screen but turns out Depp was the last hope for the movie after every single actor the director desired for the role rejected her offer.
Although Johnny Depp delivered an enamoring performance, he was not the first choice for the role of King Louis XV. The director envisioned a French actor, unnamed in her view, to take the lead role who didn’t seem to realize how colossal the cinema industry still is.
Johnny Depp wasn’t the first choice for his comeback movie
The 2023 drama Jeanne du Barry captured people’s attention as it marked the return of the king to his crown. Johnny Depp returned to the cinema with a biographical period drama centered around the life of King Louis XV’s love Madame du Barry and her quest to reach the top of the social pyramid. The amalgamation of fantasy and fiction along with the cast’s stunning performance made the movie a must-watch for all. But turns out Depp wasn’t the first choice for the director for the titular role of the King.
Maiwenn initially had a French actor in mind, whose name she did not reveal while talking to Harper’s Bazar France. She revealed the actor she hoped for flat-out rejected the film saying “Cinema is dead” and the only projects destined to be successful are on Netflix.
That broke Maiwenn’s heart and brought her to another French actor, whose health did not allow him to pursue the character. After two rejections in a row, the director started to make a list of the actors she fancied, and Johnny Depp happened to just make the list. Although he was not at the top of the list, the name above him was disinterested, and therefore the actor was handed the script.
After Maiwenn had lost all her hope, Johnny Depp came as a beckon of light to rescue her and help her bring her vision to life.
The controversy surrounding Johnny Depp’s presence at the Cannes Film Festival
Depp held back tears as the audience welcomed him back to the place he truly belongs. The actor appeared at the Cannes Film Festival recently for the premiere of his new movie Jeanne du Barry, had got him a seven-minute standing ovation from the audience. It was quite an emotional moment for both Maiwenn and Depp. The Pirates of the Caribbean seemed ecstatic to meet all his supporters and well-wishers in person.
His Cannes appearance was a much-discussed topic since this was this marked his return to the film industry. The Cannes Festival director Thierry Fremaux revealed,
“I don’t know about the image of Johnny Depp in the U.S,—To tell you the truth, in my life, I only have one rule: It’s the freedom of thinking, and the freedom of speech and acting within a legal framework. If Johnny Depp had been banned from acting in a film, or the film was banned, we wouldn’t be here talking about it.”
He then further continued saying,
“This [controversy] came up once the film was announced at Cannes because everybody knew Johnny had made a film in France…I don’t know why she chose him but it’s a question you should ask Maiwenn,–As for the rest, I’m the last person to be able to discuss all this. If there’s one person in this world who didn’t find the least interest in this very publicized trial, it’s me. I don’t know what it’s about. I also care about Johnny Depp as an actor.”
All in all, people were happy to see the actor return, and the French audience is still in awe of the epic comeback performance Depp delivered at the gala reminding everyone of the place he really belongs to.
Source: Harper’s Bazar France and Variety
