Johnny Depp has expressed that he does not want his highly publicized legal disputes with his ex-wife, Amber Heard, to define him, and he urged people not to judge him solely based on

those cases.

In the past year, a US jury concluded that Heard had defamed Depp in an article where she claimed to be a victim of abuse. Additionally, a UK court ruled in favor of a newspaper article that labeled him as a "wife beater."

Depp spoke to the BBC during his appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, where he plays Louis XV in the French film "Jeanne du Barry," considered his major comeback.

This role marks his return to the spotlight after losing his role in the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise due to a High Court libel trial involving a newspaper article accusing him of assaulting Heard. The court ruled in favor of the newspaper, stating the article was "substantially true."

In an interview with Tom Brook of BBC's Talking Movies, Depp stated, "Comeback is a weird thing because... I didn't go anywhere. People may have made sure that I was not looked at favorably - powerful press, powerful media, for whatever reasons."

Both court cases presented conflicting accounts of Depp and Heard's five-year relationship, with each accusing the other of misconduct and violence. Depp vehemently denied his ex-wife's allegations of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.

After losing the defamation case in 2022, Heard expressed her loss of faith in the US justice system.

Depp advised people to reflect on their own family members before passing judgment on him. He said, "I suggest before people start pointing fingers and making judgments on others that they have no idea about, I would say, everybody, take one day off of work, stay at home, start your investigation of everyone in your family. Start with your father. Look way back. Dad always been just a wonderful guy, has he? Your uncles, look at your brothers. Look around you first before you start passing judgment on someone that you have no idea what that person has been through, who they are."

Despite the uncertainties surrounding his movie career during the legal battles, Depp received a warm welcome from numerous fans at the Cannes premiere of his latest film, where he signed autographs and took selfies with them. Photo by Andy Templeton, Wikimedia commons.