Actor Johnny Depp became emotional and received a seven-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival for his film Jeanne du Barry. Directed by Maïwenn and co-starring the director, the film tells of Louis XV's mistress, Jeanne Vaubernier. Depp has been the subject of public conflict with his ex-wife Amber Heard, who last year was found by a US court to have defamed the actor. Depp emerged victorious from the legal battle. Depp has not appeared in a major US film since "losing" against The Sun newspaper in the UK courts in 2018.
Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda has premiered his latest film, "Monster", at the Cannes Film Festival. The film, about the misunderstandings between a single mother and a teacher brought on by children, explores the Japanese education system. Kore-eda, who won a Palme d'Or for his film "Shoplifters" five years ago, said he hoped to repeat his success with "Monster". The film also marks the last work of Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who worked on the soundtrack before he died in March.
Dame Helen Mirren’s blue hairstyle, revealed at the Cannes film festival, is inspiring a trend. Mirren’s hair colour came courtesy of an aquamarine Moroccanoil Color Depositing Mask. A creative colourist will then have added a variety of tones to give the final result. However, numerous shades of blue are already frequently appearing on catwalks and at awards events. This summer’s Met Gala saw Cara Delevingne and Phoebe Bridgers with blue bobs. Other celebrities have also gone blue, including Marge Simpson, Lady Gaga and Mrs Slocombe from TV series Are You Being Served?
Pedro Pascal has been praised for his acting by his co-star Ethan Hawke as the duo promoted their new film, the gay, Western short Strange Way of Life, at Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, the film sees Pascal's character Silva visit Hawke's Sheriff Jake after 20 years apart, sparking conflict over the idea of revisiting the past. The half-hour production was the second film in English for Almodóvar and premiered at Cannes this week. It is set for release on 26 May.
Presenter Ulrika Jonsson has criticised Johnny Depp and his Cannes Film Festival supporters, arguing that “men behaving badly are not only attractive but they are so easily forgiven”. Jonsson criticised the actor in her latest newspaper column, criticising the nearly seven-minute ovation he received at a premiere to promote his first lead role since his legal victory in a defamation case brought by his ex-wife, actor Amber Heard, in 2019. Jonsson pointed out that Heard had provided evidence of “his atrocious conduct and made allegations of violent behaviour”.
A documentary about the legal battles between the US actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is set to be shown on UK television this weekend. Bafta-nominated director Emma Cooper’s three-part Depp vs Heard film will investigate the defamation case in which Depp sued his former wife for libel last year. The case – which Depp won in June 2022 – was dubbed the “Tik Tok trial” after it was broadcast live and featured allegations of domestic violence. Depp and Heard began a relationship in 2012, married in 2015, divorced in 2017, and have been locked in litigation ever since.
Johnny Depp has discussed his recent marginalisation by Hollywood and how his trial for domestic violence affected him in an interview with the Associated Press. Depp took a libel suit against Amber Heard, his ex-wife, last year, which was ultimately ruled to have gone in her favour by a British court. As a result, Depp has been dropped from a string of films, including Fantastic Beasts and Pirates of the Caribbean. He is currently in Cannes promoting period drama Jeanne du Barry, which has not yet been acquired for US distribution.
Despite a court finding Johnny Depp guilty of libel, the actor's first film in three years, "Jeanne du Barry", in which he stars as King Louis XV, opened the Cannes Film Festival to great fanfare, with fans shouting "Viva Johnny!". At the time, Depp was approaching the lowest point of his career, as his trial against his then-wife Amber Heard made headlines. While public opinion on Depp may be mixed, his popularity in France reportedly remains high. Depp says he has no regrets about his recent experience in court and remains eager to pursue film projects outside the studio system.
The first trailer for Martin Scorsese's latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon, has been released by Apple TV+. Based on David Grann’s 2017 bestselling book of the same name, the film is a true story that recollects the FBI investigation of Osage Native American tribe murders in Oklahoma during the early 1900s related to oil rights. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as protagonist Ernest Burkhart, nephew of a wealthy local rancher, and critics are already tipping him for a possible second Oscar. The film stars Robert De Niro as Burkhart's uncle and makes its world premiere on 20 May at Cannes Film Festival before a worldwide cinema release on 18 October.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which had its world premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival, comes nearly two decades after the fourth in the Indiana Jones movie franchise. Director James Mangold's film has been criticised for lacking the spark and bravado of the earlier movies, with critics highlighting the generic and clunky staging of action sequences and that even body language was lacking comparable energy. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny follows Harrison Ford as Dr Henry Jones who is unexpectedly called back into the field to help track down a mystical artefact from the depths of history.
Actor Harrison Ford appeared with his wife and co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge at the Cannes Film Festival ahead of the premier of his new film Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny. He was also given an honorary Palme d’Or award at the festival, thanking the crowd and spoke of how he had 'seen his life flash before his eyes'. Ford also confirmed that Dial of Destiny would be his last appearance as Indiana Jones, with the movie not directed by Stephen Spielberg.
French producer Marc Missonnier has said he was refused delegates access to the Cannes Film Festival because of his outspoken criticism of Le Retour, a film dogged by allegations of on-set misconduct and a sex scene involving an actor under 16. Missonnier had raised fears about the film, which is in contention for the Palme d’Or, and was quoted by a Cannes official as calling for a boycott. Mistreatment of crew members during production and the film’s selection at Cannes have prompted protests and led to a discussion about the festival’s role in promoting those accused of wrongdoing.
Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda has said he did not want to focus on the sexual identity of the two schoolboys at the centre of his film "Monster," which has been nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes. The non-chronological three-part movie portrays a growing but non-sexual friendship between two boys. Kore-eda insisted that at their age, 12, they are not fully aware of their sexual identity. He said the movie was about the pain of a good friend moving away and creating distance between himself and another person who understands him.
The presence of older actors at Cannes Film Festival 2023 is evidence that familiarity counts for more than age when it comes to film star popularity and and box office sales, according to a National Research Group survey. It found the average age of the top 20 actors who viewers would pay to see in theatres was 58, with only one actor being under 40. The oldest stars often have a bigger appeal for audiences compared to younger actors, regardless of declining physical appearance and age. Potential star talent for Cannes in 2023 include Tye Sheridan, Talia Ryder, Lily Gladstone, Charles Melton and Lily-Rose Depp.
Attorneys defending Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons supervisor on the set of New Mexico film Rust, have asked the Santa Fe County court to dismiss her charge of involuntary manslaughter for the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Top lawyers argue that the investigation was improper, faulty and Gutierrez-Reed's due process rights were violated, concluding that the charges were politically motivated and selectively brought forward. The same charge against Alec Baldwin was dropped last month due to lack of evidence, but special prosecutors warned that new evidence could possibly result in new charges. “Rust” safety coordinator and assistant director David Halls has pleaded no contest to a conviction for the unsafe handling of a firearm and received a suspended sentence of six months of probation for his part in the shooting.
The Cannes screening of Black Flies, the new film from Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, has confirmed that Sean Penn, in the role of an experienced paramedic, has produced his best performance in some time. Co-star Tye Sheridan is no less impressive as a nervous rookie alongside Penn, though together they face down the "raging urban stress and cramped horizons" of their duty with occasional displays of black humour. Despite formulaic components, the film's central theme of everyday realities serve the story well in a gritty, often uncomfortably tense and sometimes violent movie.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been criticised for her portrayal of an "arcane dealer" in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Her character, archaeologist Helena Shaw, chooses to leave her godfather, Indiana Jones, to be preyed upon by neo-Nazi agents after acquiring an ancient computing tool known as the Antikythera and travelling to Tangier to sell it to the highest bidder. The performance, and character motivation in particular, has been criticised as basic and a waste of Waller-Bridge's "brilliant mind".
Retired Indiana Jones actor Harrison Ford has received a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The award was in recognition of his outstanding contribution to film and the premiere of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which was screened at the festival. Ford will be retiring as the swashbuckling archaeologist, saying goodbye to the iconic Indiana Jones character more than 40 years after he first debuted. The gala was one of the most sought-after tickets at Cannes this year, with the film being directed and co-written by James Mangold.
After four decades, Harrison Ford has retired Indiana Jones, the swashbuckling archeologist who first debuted in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, directed by James Mangold, premiered at the Cannes film festival, where Ford received an honorary Palme d'Or. Ford, who confessed to frequently tearing up during his farewell tour, declined to say more than that he needed to rest and loved the character of Indiana Jones. The film, set in the 1960s, offers a poignant take on the iconic franchise and is Ford's last appearance in the role.
Actor Harrison Ford has made headlines after a reporter complimented him on his looks at a press conference for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The reporter said to Ford: "Hi, how are you? I still think you're very hot." She added: "We were stunned to see you take off your shirt in the second scene. You've still got it. How do you keep fit?" Responding deadpan, Ford, now 80, said: "I have been, uh, blessed with this body. Thanks for noticing."
