Johnny Depp drew inspiration from Hunter Thompson to ‘keep going’ after Amber Heard fiasco

Following his contentious comeback at the Cannes Film Festival with Jeanne du Barry, actor Johnny Depp reflected on his journey.

During an interview with The Associated Press, Depp described hitting rock bottom, following accusations of domestic abuse by ex-wife Amber Heard. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor likened the ensuing confusion and bewilderment to something out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon. He found himself questioning his own life and wondering how it had come to this point.

“When it all went down, confusion is a good word. Befuddled. Because it does almost reach the Bugs Bunny experience,” Johnny Depp said. “You say to yourself: Is this my life? What happened?”

Last year saw Depp embroiled in a libel trial against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, based on her 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post, in which she identified herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse. A British court ruled in 2020 that a tabloid’s description of Depp as a “wife beater” was largely true, leading to a severing of ties between Hollywood and the actor. He was subsequently removed from both the Fantastic Beasts and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises.

While Depp ultimately won a defamation lawsuit against Heard in a Virginia court, with the jury ruling that she had defamed him on three counts and awarding him $15 million in damages, public opinion remains divided.

At the Cannes premiere of Jeanne du Barry, Depp encountered a mix of reactions. Fans eagerly sought autographs, and signs proclaiming “Viva Johnny!” were held up. However, on social media, the response was more contentious, with some arguing that Cannes should not have invited Depp due to the festival’s history of welcoming men accused of misconduct.

Speaking of how he got through the tough times Depp said he drew inspiration from his mentor Hunter S. Thompson, and invoked the mantra “Buy the ticket, take the ride.”

“One of the things that kept going in my head was Hunter,” he continued, invoking longtime mentor Hunter S. Thompson. “I could hear his voice: ‘Buy the ticket, take the ride.’”

Depp added that he doesn’t regret anything reiterating he never did anything wrong.

“Not for a moment will I regret anything unless I’ve done something horrible to someone, which I haven’t.”

“I’m not going to regret being taken down a strange road for that period of time because I learned so much more about myself.”