Once upon a time, Johnny Depp would have been out tearing up the French Riviera at Cannes.
But the hedonistic actor is so keen to protect his movie comeback that we can reveal he even snubbed his own opening night dinner at the resort’s film festival this week.
As our picture shows, Johnny’s seat at the Carlton Cannes bash for his period drama Jeanne du Barry remained empty after he bailed – forgoing a feast of white lobster salad, flame-seared sea bass and St Honoré pastry dessert.
Our insider says: “Everyone was expecting Johnny at the dinner.
“It’s very rare for the star of the film to not show, but he decided to lay low.
“All eyes are on him and he was worried about anything that could damage his comeback after an overwhelmingly positive reception at the Palais desFestivals opening ceremony. He was also nervous about any tension with guests inside.”
Brie Larson, one of the most outspoken advocates of the #MeToo movement, Uma Thurman, Michael Douglas and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, Helen Mirren and Naomi Campbell were among the guests at the star-studded dinner.
Johnny’s role as Louis XV in the French drama is his first since his defamation victory against ex-wife Amber Heard in 2022.
He was reduced to tears on Tuesday after receiving a seven-minute standing ovation for his performance in the Maïwenn-directed movie, in which he speaks fluent French.
Earlier, Marvel actress Brie – a Cannes juror – had looked tense when asked if she would be watching the film. She awkwardly fumbled her response, stuttering: “I’m sorry, I don’t understand the correlation or why me specifically.
“You’ll see, I guess, if I will see it. And I don’t know how I’ll feel about it if I do.”
Johnny was asked to step down from Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts in the wake of his court case – and despite his well-crafted comeback, he has no other films in the pipeline.
But he said this week: “I don’t feel boycotted by Hollywood because I don’t think about Hollywood. I don’t have much further need for Hollywood.
“It’s a funny time where everybody would love to be able to be themselves, but they can’t. They must fall in line with the person in front. If you want to live that life, I wish you the best.”
His last outing in Cannes was in 2011 for fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, On Stranger Tides.
He doesn’t sound eager to return any time soon…
