Brie Larson is avoiding discussing the Cannes opening night film ‘Jeanne du Barry’.
The vocal member of the #MeToo and Times Up movements is on the jury at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival but has avoided whether or not he will see the opening night film starring Johnny Depp.
“Are you asking me?” Larson said during the press conference, as “Jeanne du Barry” is out of competition and therefore not a requirement for jury members. “Sorry, I don’t understand the correlation or why me.”
The “Fast X” actress added: “You’ll see, I guess, if I do. And I don’t know how I would feel if I did.
Larson noted that this year’s festival is his “first time here” and would one day open at Cannes, including superhero films like his “Captain Marvel” franchise.
“I only know my point of view and I’ve never curated a film festival,” said the Oscar winner. “I take the same level of preparation and care (…) whatever the budget. A movie is a movie. This is my first time here. I’m sure the films will have a wide scope, and that’s what makes this festival so special.”
Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux recently championed the inclusion of the controversial film ‘Jeanne du Barry’, especially in the wake of writer/director/star Maïwenn confirming assault allegations after she was accused of attacking a French journalist .
“I don’t know Johnny Depp’s image in the United States,” Fremaux said. “To tell you the truth, in my life, I have only one rule, it’s freedom of thought, and freedom of speech and action within a legal framework.”
Fremaux said earlier this year: “I don’t see Maïwenn’s film as a controversial choice at all, because if Johnny Depp had been banned from working it would have been different, but that’s not the case. We only know one thing, it’s the justice system and I think he won the lawsuit. But the film is not about Johnny Depp.
Depp has won a defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, claiming he lost his job following her allegations of abuse. Heard fans have since started the #CannesYouNot social media campaign calling the festival to “support the harassers for 76 years”. French actress Adèle Haenel has criticized the French film industry for protecting “sex offenders”.
Reporting by Eric Kohn.
