It’s being reported that Johnny Depp (yep, Johnny’s back in the headlines) “scared” the rest of the Jeanne Du Barry cast and crew, and was “difficult” to work with.
This is rather worrying to hear, especially after all of the headlines about Depp over the past few years and months and the fact that he’s been trying to get his career back on track.
This movie, where Depp plays King Louis XV, was supposed to be his big return to acting after the whole Amber Heard trial debacle.
Johnny Depp scared the Jeanne Du Barry cast and crew
Credit: Why Not Productions
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Well, it turns out that—according to the movie’s director, at least—Depp wasn’t the easiest actor to work with.
In an interview with The Independent, Maïwenn, the film’s director, said that Depp was a bit scary and challenging to handle and work with at times.
Here’s what she had to say about her experience working with Depp while filming Jeanne Du Barry:
I have to be honest. It’s difficult to shoot with him. All the crew were scared because he has a different kind of humour and we didn’t know if he was going to be on time, or if he was going to be OK to say his lines… I mean, even if he was there on set, on time, the crew were afraid of him.
She added:
There was no time for rehearsals. I asked for time but, for whatever reason, he wasn’t available… He had a coach, but he couldn’t work with her beforehand. So. OK. I discovered his accent wasn’t perfect. So a few times, I decided to cut his lines. But that also happened with the French actors. It happens!
Are language barriers to blame…?
Credit: Why Not Productions
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So, it sounds as though Depp might have been cracking jokes on set, and the French cast and crew didn’t always understand them. There was also a clear language barrier when filming the picture.
Depp can speak French. His French is decent. I am a French speaker myself (I grew up in France, but I am English). However, you can tell that Depp’s grasp of the language isn’t quite good enough for him to make a whole film in French.
I always thought it was more of a publicity stunt casting Depp in the film rather than him being the right person for the role.
Louis XV was French. He spoke French fluently. Depp does not speak French fluently, so he would have needed a lot of help with his lines and his delivery.
Acting in a language that’s not your own is really tough. There are only a few actors that can do it effectively, and most of them tend not to be English speakers.
English is a more widely spoken language and people can grasp it quite quickly. French is really difficult. I lived in France for a huge chunk of my life, and I still wouldn’t say that I’m fluent.
I’m constantly making mistakes. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for Depp on the set of this movie, having gone through that horrific Amber Heard trial and having to try and learn lines in a language that isn’t his native tongue.
Johnny Depps time-keeping issues…
Credit: Why Not Productions
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The thing that worries me more about what Maïwenn had to say about Depp\s behaviour is that they weren’t sure whether he’d be on set on time.
This is something that does happen with a lot of actors. They come to the set late, sometimes even drunk. There have been reports that Depp has done similar things to this in the past.
That said, many people have said that working with Depp was a pleasure and that he was always professional on set.
In all honesty, I do wonder whether the whole thing was just a culture clash. Maïwenn is a relatively inexperienced director, and she was starring in the movie also.
I think that it might have just been a bit too much for her and the people around her.
That said, the movie has been getting relatively decent reviews, and it’ll be interesting to see how a non-French-speaking audience reacts to it.
What do you make of this news?
Are you worried about Johnny Depp’s career?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this report.
Jeanne Du Barry is available to watch in cinemas in the UK right now.
