Supporters of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom actor Amber Heard are targeting the Cannes Film Festival with a social media campaign that, in part, denounces the event’s promotion of Johnny Depp and his newly-premiered movie.
Per Variety, Heard enthusiasts created a new campaign with the hashtag #CannesYouNot days ahead of the annual festival in southern France to call out their alleged penchant for “celebrating abusers for 76 years.” The prestigious festival, which opened on May 16 with Depp’s new film, Jeanne du Barry, was called out for celebrating Depp due to past allegations of abusive behavior towards Heard. One of Heard’s close friends and journalist/activist Eve Barlow posted the hashtag on Instagram with the message, “Cannes seem proud of their history supporting rapists and abusers,” before adding “Plus ça change,” which essentially translates to, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Additionally, Barlow posted a series of photos featuring Depp, Roman Polanski, Harvey Weinstein and Woody Allen, among other Hollywood figures, with the caption, “If you support Cannes, you support predators,” alluding to the festival’s highlighting of them and their work.
Jeanne du Barry chronicles the titular chief royal mistress of Louis XV, played by French actor Maïwenn Le Besco, with Depp starring as the controversial King of France himself. While the film is considered controversial in and of itself, the much-talked-about defamation trial involving Depp and Heard, as well as Heard fans’ feelings of injustice after the eventual ruling, add to its polarizing nature. A Heard supporter named Rebecca, who is behind the @LeaveHeardAlone Twitter account, revealed many of the #CannesYouNot campaigners are sexual abuse survivors while claiming the Depp vs. Heard trial was “heartbreaking and frightening.”
Depp sued Heard for defamation following a 2018 op-ed piece in the Washington Post where Heard alleged Depp abused her and was being protected in Hollywood despite the allegations. Depp also claimed Heard was the one who abused him. After the case went to trial in Virginia between April and June of last year, the jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, while Heard received $2 million in compensatory damages. Depp and Heard, who were married between 2015 and 2017, reached an out-of-court settlement last December following an appeal from both parties.
The Aftermath of Depp v Heard
Jeanne du Barry marks Depp’s first feature-length film since the trial, while Heard is set to reprise her role as Mera in Lost Kingdom. However, unlike the original Aquaman movie, where Mera was a central character, Lost Kingdom sees Heard in a less prominent role, something she revealed during the above-mentioned trial. Despite rumors Heard was cut from the Aquaman sequel altogether, recently-released footage of Lost Kingdom shown at CinemaCon confirmed she is still in it.
Heard’s Hollywood career is up in the air after a Daily Mail report earlier this month claimed she “quit” the acting scene and quietly moved to Spain with her young daughter. A friend of the actor told the English publication Heard isn’t actively seeking Hollywood roles and has settled in her new home outside Madrid after selling her California home last July. Her most recent appearance came as Mera in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Source: Variety
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