Johnny Depp: It's Been a 'Surreal 5 Years'

The reason for the current commotion in Johnny Depp's life? "The absurdity of media mathematics." That's per Depp himself, in a new interview with the Sunday Times in which the 58-year-old actor talks about his new movie, Minimata, and how he thinks he's been snubbed in Hollywood due to his legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard. If Depp appears to be speaking in riddles during his Zoom interview with writer Jonathan Dean, it may be because he's not allowed to speak directly about either his relationship with Heard or his $50 million defamation suit against her, with a trial set to start in April, per Yahoo Entertainment. Instead, he refers to recent events in his life as "a surreal five years" and touches on his role as American photojournalist W. Eugene Smith, who, via a photo essay for Life magazine, exposed the effects of mercury poisoning on Japanese villagers in the early '70s.

Variety notes that, after Depp lost a libel case last year against the Sun, which referred to him as a "wife beater," MGM indefinitely postponed the US release date of Minimata, originally set for February 2021. Depp can't believe the studio would suppress the story of what happened in Minimata. "For Hollywood's boycott of, erm, me?" he tells Dean. "One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?" Dean also notices Minimata is the last film Depp has listed on IMDb, which usually includes upcoming film projects as well as completed ones, prompting Dean to ask Depp if he's done with acting. "Er, no," Depp answers, "No. No. Actually, I look forward to the next few films I make to be my first films, in a way." He then offers a Wizard of Oz analogy that Dean doesn't quite understand, much like Depp's first quote on the "absurdity" in his life. "I would ask him to explain, but I am not sure he is an explainer," Dean notes. More from the interview here. (More Johnny Depp stories.)