Johnny Depp revealed that he attempted to dissuade the director of "Jeanne Du Barry" from casting him in the film.

Johnny Depp has made a comeback to the red carpet in London for the UK premiere of "Jeanne Du Barry," marking his return to feature films since the resolution of his high-profile defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard in the US two years ago.

Johnny Depp revealed that he attempted to dissuade the director of his latest film from casting him in one of the lead roles. 

The renowned actor portrays France's King Louis XV in the historical drama "Jeanne Du Barry" and graced the UK premiere in London on Monday evening.

At 60 years old, Depp stepped back onto the red carpet for his first feature film since the resolution of his highly publicized defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard in the United States in 2022.

The movie centers on the story of Jeanne, a woman from a working-class background who leverages her intelligence and charm to ascend the social ladder, ultimately catching the attention of the king. French actress Maiwenn portrays the character, in addition to co-writing and directing the film.

During the premiere, Depp took the stage and expressed his surprise at being approached for the film.

As reported by Deadline, the actor, hailing from Owensboro, Kentucky, shared with the audience, "Instantly what happens in your brain is that you go back to eastern Kentucky... you realize that you come from the 'ombelico', 'nombril', the belly button of nowhere, and you're playing the king of France."

Depp further explained, "It made no sense to me, I tried to talk her out of it. She wasn't hearing it, and she had great courage to take me into her cast."

The film, Jeanne Du Barry, garnered significant acclaim, receiving a seven-minute standing ovation upon its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023.

The film marks Depp's first significant on-screen role since his legal battles against Heard and The Sun newspaper in the UK.

In 2022, he won a lawsuit against Heard over a 2018 article she penned for The Washington Post, which his legal team argued contained false accusations of abuse.

However, an earlier UK case in 2020 ruled against Depp, with a High Court judge determining that he had assaulted Heard during their relationship.

Source: Sky news