Tim Burton, who to date has directed Johnny Depp in eight feature films, has spoken out about the actor’s boycott since Amber Heard’s accusations of domestic violence, and the trials that followed.
Johnny Depp and his eight films with Tim Burton
Johnny Depp And Tim Burton have had a long and rich collaboration, beginning in the early 1990s. First with Edward Scissorhands (1991), in which the actor plays the main role. There was then Ed Wood (1994) and Sleepy Hollow (1999), two totally different films. This is precisely what is interesting about this duo, their ability to work together on a wide variety of projects.
After that, Johnny Depp was directed for the fourth time by Tim Burton in Charlie and the chocolate factory (2006) and even lent his voice to Victor Van Dort in Funeral rites (2005), before pushing the song into Sweeney Todd (2007). Finally, the 2010s brought them together a seventh and eighth time with Alice in Wonderland (2010) And Dark Shadows (2012).
A boycott worthy of Frankenstein according to the director
More than ten years have passed since Tim Burton last cast Johnny Depp in one of his films. And since, the actor’s situation has changed. The actor was accused in 2016 by his ex-partner Amber Heard of domestic violence. After these accusations, Johnny Depp was boycotted by part of the public and in Hollywood, being notably replaced in the saga Fantastic Beasts. Disney also wanted separate from him after Pirates of the Caribbean 5 (2017).
After losing a first trial in 2020, Johnny Depp then saw his defamation trial brought against Amber Heard (and which he won) be extremely publicized. However, today the public’s opinion of the actor is split in two, between his fans who defend him and those who consider him an aggressor. His presence at Cannes Film Festival 2023 For the movie Jeanne du Barry had also caused controversy.
During an interview given to The IndependentTim Burton reacted to this situation experienced by Johnny Depp by comparing this boycott to the history of Frankenstein imagined by Mary Shelley.
When I was a child, I always had the image of the angry villagers in Frankenstein… I always used to think of society that way, as the angry village. We see it more and more. It’s a very, very strange human dynamic, a human trait that I don’t quite like or understand.
Without completely defending Johnny Depp, Tim Burton points above all to the human reactions and the anger expressed by part of the public on this affair. There is no doubt that his words will also risk causing some people to react.