Johnny Depp spent several years working as the face of Dior's popular fragrance Sauvage, and last August, he and the brand inked a seven-figure deal that kept him in the role. Fresh off his victory from court where he and ex-wife Amber Heard had sued each other for defamation, Depp was estranged from Hollywood and lacking overall support.
The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star says it was the fashion house that remained the most loyal and true to him despite all the controversy. "They stuck with me through every single second, and that ups the stakes quite a lot for me: they trusted me, they believed in me, and they continued. That gesture is so noble and so rare," Depp told South China Morning Post of his relationship with Dior.
"I’ve never been more touched or prouder to have had that support. Nobody does that, and the fact that Dior has, I thank every single person involved in making the decision to trust me and stick with me all the way from the bottom to the top and back down."
JOHNNY DEPP ADMITS HE FELT BOYCOTTED AFTER AMBER HEARD DRAMA, HAS NO 'FURTHER NEED' FOR HOLLYWOOD
"I will forever be in their debt, I will forever be loyal. They are … man, it’s Dior! Of course, they’re a class act, but they’re actually truly a class act. I mean, that’s strength, that’s class, that’s brave, it’s courageous. Dior will always mean much more to me than just Sauvage," he said of his partnership with the company.
Depp's relationship with Dior began in 2015 and continued after his divorce with Heard turned contentious. After Heard accused Depp of domestic violence, the company stopped airing his commercial for the perfume on TV; however, according to reports, he remained a Dior ambassador.
After the ruling in Depp's defamation case the commercial returned.
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Depp has been candid about the lack of support he felt during those trying times, including from Hollywood.
While attending the Cannes Film Festival this spring, Depp was questioned at length by the media for the first time since his trial concluded. He was quick to answer if he had felt boycotted by the industry that made him a star.
"Did I feel boycotted by Hollywood? Well, you’d have to not have a pulse to feel at that point like this was all just a weird joke," he said during a press conference to promote his film "Jeanne du Barry," per The Hollywood Reporter.
"Of course, when you’re asked to resign from a film you’re doing because of something that’s merely a bunch of vowels and consonants floating in the air… Do I feel boycotted now? No, not at all. But I don’t feel boycotted because I don’t think about Hollywood. I don’t feel much further need for Hollywood — I don’t know about you."
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During the press conference, Depp also acknowledged the way in which he had been portrayed in the media, stating, "The majority of you who have been reading for the last five or six years, with regards to me and my life — the majority of what you’ve read is fantastically, horrifically written fiction. The fact is, we’re here to talk about the film. But it’s like asking the question, ‘How are you doing?’ But what’s underneath in the subtext is, ‘God, I hate you.’ That’s the sort of media thing."
Although their relationship started years earlier, Depp and Heard were married in 2015 and filed for divorce in 2016.
