Paris: With the controversial shadow of Johnny Depp looming over the Cannes Film Festival, Brie Larson had few words about the decision to open this year’s edition of the world’s most-awaited cinema event with ‘Jeanne du Barry’, a historical drama starring the embattled actor, reports ‘Variety’.
It is Depp’s first leading role in three years, following highly publicised legal battles with his ex-wife Amber Heard.
Larson, who was at the forefront of the #MeToo movement, mostly evaded the question when asked whether she’d attend the world premiere, which she isn’t required to do as a juror since it’s not playing in competition, according to ‘Variety’.
“You’re asking me that?” she responded during a jury press conference on Tuesday, ‘Variety’ adds. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand the correlation or why me specifically.”
When pressed, Larson added: “You’ll see, I guess, if I will see it. And I don’t know how I’ll feel about it if I do.”
Larson has been an outspoken advocate of #MeToo and victims of sexual assault and sat on the now-dissolved advisory board of Time’s Up, an advocacy group founded at the height of the movement.
When she presented Casey Affleck, who was sued by two women for allegations of harassment, with the best actor Oscar in 2017, she didn’t clap as the rest of the crowd gave the ‘Manchester by the Sea’ star a standing ovation, notes ‘Variety’.
“To live life as a woman is to live life on the defence,” Larson said in 2017 in the wake of Harvey Weinstein’s downfall. “As always, I stand with the brave survivors of sexual assault and harassment. It’s not your fault. I believe you.”
Depp’s initial fallout from Hollywood, including his firing from the ‘Harry Potter’ spinoff series ‘Fantastic Beasts’, began as he lost a 2020 U.K. libel case involving Heard’s abuse allegations. But, ‘Variety’ adds, he hasn’t been completely ousted from the entertainment industry, receiving career achievement and tribute awards from international film festivals and retaining a lucrative brand ambassador deal with luxury fashion house Dior.
More recently, a U.S. jury found that Heard defamed Depp and awarded him $10 million in compensatory damages.
–IANS