Johnny Depp floated into the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night dressed as the award show’s famous Moonperson. The “surprise” segment, which had been leaked days earlier, marks Depp’s first major public appearance since June, when a jury ruled in his favor in a defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
Following an opening performance by Lizzo, who performed “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready),” from her album Special, graphics touting the upcoming performances flashed across the screen as an astronaut fell through the air above the stage. Once the final performer was announced, the Moonman’s visor slid open to reveal a live graphic of Depp’s face inside the helmet.
“Hey, you know what?” Depp said to cheers from the audience. “I needed the work.”
CR: MTV
The show then transitioned to LL Cool J, one of the night’s hosts, who walked out to his hit “Mama Said Knock You Out.”
Depp popped up again after commercial breaks, first opening the Moonperson visor to demand, “Hey VMAs, let’s get back to the f—ing music, shall we?”
The second post-commercial appearance was a very self-aware plea for work: “I just want you guys to know that I’m available for birthdays, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, weddings, wakes, any old thing you need,” he said before emphasizing, “Any thing. You name it.” Then, as an afterthought, he added, “Oh, I’m also a dentist.”
Depp, 59, won $10 million in compensatory damages in June after he sued Heard for referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse” in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed that never mentioned Depp by name. The jury also awarded Depp $5 million in punitive damages, although the judge reduced that penalty to $350,000, Virginia’s statutory cap.
Heard prevailed in her countersuit against Depp, winning $2 million in compensatory damages. She recently hired a new legal team to appeal the verdict.
Earlier this month, a trove of documents from the trial hit the internet, providing 6,000 additional pages of details about the ugly and at times bizarre legal proceedings. The records include Depp’s move to submit nude photos of Heard into evidence and Heard’s attempt to share records alleging that Depp takes medicine commonly used to treat herpes and erectile dysfunction.
Depp has stayed busy since the trial, joining TikTok, beginning work on director Maïwenn’s French film Jeanne du Barry (Depp plays King Louis XV), and announcing a summer 2023 European tour with his Hollywood Vampires bandmates.
He’s also set to direct Modigliani, a biopic about Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. The gig will be Depp’s first directing job since The Brave in 1997, although he has helmed several music videos over the years.
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