Johnny Depp is starring in his first post-trial commercial for Dior fragrance brand Sauvage, following a high-profile court battle with ex-wife Amber Heard.
Depp, 59, has been the focus of an avalanche of headlines in recent months, after a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard, 36, in response to a 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post, in which she said that she was a domestic abuse survivor.
Following a high-profile trial in Fairfax, Virginia, the jury in June found that Heard had, indeed, defamed Depp and awarded him more than $10 million. Depp was ordered to pay $2 million to Heard—who had counter-sued for $100 million—for defaming her via comments made by his attorney Adam Waldman.
In the immediate aftermath of the trial, Depp jetted off to the U.K. to perform in a series of concerts with Jeff Beck, later hitting the stage at shows across Europe.
The shows have been used as the basis for Dior's new Sauvage ad with Depp, which shows him preparing to hit the stage for the last of the series of concerts, which took place at the iconic Paris L'Olympia on July 25.
In black-and-white footage shot by photographer Greg Williams, the star is seen sitting backstage, spliced with footage of him walking through the venue's hallowed halls ahead of taking the stage.
"How do I feel about Paris being the last show on the tour? It's apt," Depp says. "I saw Vanessa [Paradis, former partner] here at the Olympia. I brought my kids to see Bob Dylan here at the Olympia. I met Charles Aznavour at the Olympia. It's really quite a special place, and the sound from the stage is immense."
Brandishing his guitar, Depp is seen stepping out onto the stage before a screaming crowd, as he continues to share: "Sauvage brings me a lot of memories, a lot of shows. Things that you smelled growing up that if I smell it, it takes me right back and I see the person that used to wear it. It's a sense memory, so a smell can make you travel."
As the opening chords of The Troggs' 1960s classic "Wild Thing" play out in the background, Depp concludes: "Sauvage representing the idea of fearless, yet human." The ad can be viewed in full at the top of this article.
Depp's commercial was unveiled Monday on Dior Beauty's verified Instagram account, along with photographs of the screen star posing backstage.
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The first set of photos, which has received more than 1.3 million likes, was met with a flood of gushing comments from Depp fans, who expressed their pride in the actor and thanked Dior for sharing the update.
Depp and Dior's working relationship dates back to 2015, when the Pirates of the Caribbean star signed up to launch the brand's then-new brand Sauvage. The fragrance was Dior's first cologne in a decade.
Dior quietly stood by Depp during his and Heard's court battle, which took place in Fairfax, Virginia. Depp and Heard accused one another of violence during their ill-fated relationship—allegations they both vehemently denied.
On June 18, Dior shared images and footage of a previous campaign that Depp had shot with the brand, less than three weeks after the jury had delivered its verdict.
Shortly after the verdict was delivered, Depp, who had received a strong wave of support on social media during the trial, shared a statement on Instagram, in which he said that the "jury gave me my life back."
"False, very serious, and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me," he said in the statement, in part.
"From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome," he went on. "Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.
"I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world."
Both sides have since announced that they're appealing the verdicts against them. Details surrounding the trial have also become a talking point once again, after unsealed court documents shed new light on previously-unseen information.
Depp previously lost a 2020 libel case against British tabloid The Sun, which had labeled the actor a "wife-beater" in reference to Heard's allegations.
Heard accused Depp of domestic abuse during their divorce proceedings in 2016. The stars, who wed in 2015, had their union officially dissolved in January 2017, months after Heard filed for divorce.
While Depp had repeatedly denied ever having been violent to Heard during the three-week trial in London, the overseeing judge found that the U.K. publication's claims that the actor was abusive to Heard were "substantially true."
Depp was "asked to resign" from Fantastic Beasts 3 following the 2020 verdict. He was subsequently replaced in his role as Gellert Grindelwald by Mads Mikkelsen.
