The Sun branded Johnny Depp a "wife-beater" while reporting on his contentious relationship with Amber Heard, but when the actor lost his legal battle against the newspaper, he became something of an outcast in Hollywood.
Warner Bros. dropped him from the Fantastic Beasts franchise, and tentative plans for a return to the Pirates of the Caribbean reboot were also scrapped. Heard, on the other hand, has been doing just fine and was recently enlisted to return as Mera in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Talking to the Sunday Times, Depp addressed how he's currently viewed in the acting world while commenting on the fact that his new movie, Minamata, has not secured a release date in the U.S.
"We looked these people in the eyeballs and promised we would not be exploitative. That the film would be respectful. I believe that we’ve kept our end of the bargain, but those who came in later should also maintain theirs. Some films touch people. And this affects those in Minamata and people who experience similar things. And for anything...for Hollywood’s boycott of me? One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?"
"But, you know, I’m moving towards where I need to go to make all that...to bring things to light."
Depp is likely referring to his long-delayed court battle with Heard he hopes will clear his name and shed some light on the allegations he's levelled at his ex-wife. Time will tell on that front, but she remains hard at work on the Aquaman sequel, as you can see from the photo below.
As for Minamata, it has just been released in the UK, so perhaps we're looking at a Woody Allen-type situation with Depp where he's still accepted in Europe, but in Hollywood, currently isn't welcome.