Johnny Depp, 58, said in a recent interview with foreign media that his new film "Minamata Disease" could not be released in the United States because he was boycotted, calling his decline in Hollywood status "media absurdity". In a conversation with The Sunday Times, he talked about the recent "unreal 5 years" (his divorce drama with his ex-wife, Amber Hield, and the start of 2016).
Minamata Disease is an adaptation of a book written by W. Eugene Smith and his wife, and in 1956, a strange disease caused by mercury pollution broke out in Japan, "Minamata Disease". In the 1970s, The American journalist Eugene, played by Depp, was commissioned to come to Japan to document this strange disease. In addition to Depp, the film stars Bill Nye, Sanada Hiroo, Tadanobu Asano, Miwa, Ryo Kase, Hayabusa Kunimura, and others.
In 2018, the British newspaper The Sun called Depp a "wife-beater", and Depp sued the newspaper for "defamation". On November 2, 2020, a British court found Depp losing the case, and the judge believed that Depp repeatedly attacked his ex-wife Amber Hield, establishing 12 of the 14 domestic violence allegations. Subsequently, Depp was fired from the "Fantastic Beasts 3" crew by Warner, Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" reboot no longer looked for him, and he was no longer involved in the new drama "Harry Houdini" produced by Jerry Brookheimer...
Referring to Minamata, Depp said he "looked those people in the eye and promised that we weren't using/exploiting them and that the film would be full of respect." I believe we have done so, and those who join later should also keep their promises. Regarding his place in the Hollywood industry, Depp said, "There are movies that move people, and it affects people in Minamata, and people who are going through similar situations." And as for Hollywood's boycott of me? In the past few years, a person, an actor, has been in an unpleasant, chaotic situation? ”
Depp also mentioned, "I'm moving in the direction I need to get the facts back to light." ”
Recently, the director of the film, Andrew Levitas, also issued an open letter, attacking the distributor MGM for wanting to hide the film. Levitas writes: "I don't understand why the private life of an actor (Depp) is more important than the suffering of the victims of industrial pollution.