Maïwenn is not a woman who is imposed on, and especially not when she is at the helm of a film!
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However, Johnny Depp, whom she had chosen to play Louis XV in the historical drama Jeanne du Barry, obviously believed that he could lay down the law on the set. The actor, who was under “cancellation” in Hollywood for allegedly mistreating his ex-wife, Amber Heard, despite a favorable outcome in his defamation trial, had no intention of keeping a low profile . And he did not, it seems, understand that the heroine was Du Barry, played by Maïwenn, and not the king.
According to the director, Johnny Depp also couldn’t stand the “artistic liberties” she took with the story and History (and there are many) and allowed herself to rewrite the script. Far from calming things down, Maïwenn preferred to use this power struggle between her and the American star to fuel the intrigue of her film.
To say that relations were tense is therefore an understatement. Johnny Depp almost never spoke to her, did not show up on set or did not know his lines… And what’s more, his very pronounced accent must have led the filmmaker to cut his lines.
An explosive situation that never puts the film crew at ease. “I have to be honest. It’s difficult to shoot with him… The whole team was afraid because he has a different sense of humor and we didn’t know if he was going to be on time, or if he was going to be able to say his lines. …I mean, even though he was there on set, on time, the crew was afraid of him,” Maïwenn told The Independent.
A “different humor” which leads Johnny Depp to say today how much he enjoyed filming with Maïwenn, a “great director”.
