The director of Jean du Barry, Johnny Depp, acknowledges the issues with the star on the set

The coming weeks will be those of the rebirth for Johnny Depp after years away from the big spotlight due to the legal dispute with his ex-wife Amber Heard , the actor will co-star in the opening film of Cannes 2023 , Jean du Barry .

The French actress and filmmaker, who in recent days was in turn sued for an alleged assault , directed the face of Pirates of the Caribbean and a film in the Fantastic Beasts saga not without difficulty.

In the film, Depp plays King Louis XV , a sovereign who unaware of his status as a courtesan falls in love with the young Jeanne Vaubernier played by Maïwenn herself and makes her his favourite. Against all decorum and etiquette, Jeanne moved to Versailles, scandalizing the court.

For the star it is a decidedly important role, but the director was surprised by the equally regal attitude shown by the actor on the set.

Speaking to the French Premiere of the rumors of tensions that have emerged in the last period, she said

Johnny is a star, a king… and an American . They told me not to let him know we were waiting for him on set to shoot a scene. They wouldnt let me knock on his dressing room. One day, I did it myself. And there, he made me understand that I had made an unacceptable intrusion and asked me how I would feel if he came knocking on my dressing room door. I told him everyone does it, thats how a set works in France .

From here, Maïwenn spoke about the differences in the way of working in the American and European or French film industries, justifying his co-star in a sense

He was making an effort, although I could see he was very confused about it. I realized that in the United States stars are not really directed . They explain to them how they will interpret the scene and the directors go with the flow. But in France, the director is the boss . So for each take, I obviously shot his proposal, but I also asked him to interpret my vision, so that I could choose during the editing. He has been in the game.

This is Maïwenns sixth film as a director it will be presented on Tuesday 16 May on the big screen at the Grand Théâtre Lumière and will hit French theaters the same day. The perfect opening for the 76th Cannes Film Festival a famous French story, interpreted and directed by an in-house talent and with the participation of one of Hollywoods biggest stars, recovering from the scandal and winning the trial.