Johnny Depp grew emotional as he received a seven-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday (16.05.23).<br /><br />The 59-year-old actor made his return to the spotlight for the first time since his defamation court battle with ex-wife Amber Heard last year to attend the opening night of the annual event for a screening of his movie 'Jeanne Du Barry' and he was overwhelmed by the response from the audience.<br /><br />In a clip shared by Variety, Johnny could be seen wiping tears from his eyes before raising his hands in a gesture of thanks and hugging his director and co-star Maiwenn.<br /><br />The filmmaker was also tearful as she briefly took the mic at the screening of the French-language film, in which she plays working-class Jeanne du Barry opposite the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor as former King of France Louis XV.<br /><br />She tearfully said: “I want to share this moment with my lover, with my producer, with Le Pacte.<br /><br />"It was a production that was difficult to finance … and I want to share this moment with all my team across the theatre.”<br /><br />Thierry Fremaux, head of the Cannes Film Festival, previously addressed a backlash about the film opening the event amid the controversy surrounding Johnny, who successfully sued Amber for defamation in a lawsuit relating to an op-ed she had written about being a victim of domestic abuse.<br /><br />He told reporters earlier this week: "I do not know what Johnny Depp represents in the United States to tell you the truth. We are watching a film.<br /><br />"You know, I have only one conduct in life. It is freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom to act under the law.<br /><br />"And so, if Johnny Depp had been barred from acting in a movie, and if that movie also had been banned, we wouldn't be talking about it."<br /><br />Noting the actor is "very extraordinary in the film for a role that was difficult", he added: "Because if there's anyone in the world who wasn't interested in this high-profile trial, it's me. I don't know what it is about. I'm interested in Johnny Depp as an actor.
