Johnny Depp met with applause as he makes Hollywood return at Cannes

Johnny Depp, 59, made his Hollywood return on the opening night of the 76th Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of his French-language film, Jeanne Du Barry.

This marks Depp’s first new film since his very public trial last year with his ex-wife Amber Heard.

The defamation trial began over a 2018 op-ed Heard wrote about domestic abuse allegations, with Depp claiming he lost work because of it, despite it not mentioning him by name.

Both Depp and Heard accused each other of physical and verbal abuse, with a civil jury awarding Depp $10 million in damages and $2 million to Heard.

Depp donned his best tuxedo, consisting of a double-breasted jacket, layered over a white shirt.

He slicked his brunette tresses back into a ponytail and sported a variety of silver rings and dangly earrings for the prestigious event.

Depp stopped to sign autographs and pose for selfies with fans before making it to the red carpet.

In Jeanne Du Barry, Depp plays King Louis XV opposite director Maïwenn.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star also faced an awkward run-in with his Fantastic Beasts replacement Mads Mikkelsen, who was also in attendance.

Depp was forced to quit the wizarding franchise in 2020 at the request of production company Warner Bros amid his legal woes.

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Mads took over the role of villainous Gellert Grindelwald for the third saga, 2022’s Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Fremaux addressed his decision for opening the event with a Depp film.

He said: “I don’t know about the image of Johnny Depp in the U.S.

“To tell you the truth, in my life, I only have one rule, it’s the freedom of thinking and the freedom of speech and acting within a legal framework.

“If Johnny Depp had been banned from acting in a film or the film was banned, we wouldn’t be here talking about it.

“So we saw Maïwenn’s film and it could have been in competition. She would have been the eighth female director

“This [controversy] came up once the film was announced at Cannes because everybody knew Johnny had made a film in France … I don’t know why she chose him but it’s a question you should ask Maïwenn.

“As for the rest, I’m the last person to be able to discuss all this. If there’s one person in this world who didn’t find the least interest in this very publicized trial, it’s me. I don’t know what it’s about. I also care about Johnny Depp as an actor.”

Stars set to hit the Cannes red carpet in the next week and a half include Natalie Portman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Sean Penn, Alicia Vikander, The Weeknd and Scarlett Johansson.

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