It seems that Johnny Depp stepped on mined terrain after his interview with Vanity Fair magazine was made public, after making a comment in which he compared photo shoots with being raped. As soon as his interview was made public in the November 2020 issue of Vanity Fair which already hit the news stands, RAINN- the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network has taken a defensive position and expressed its dissatisfaction over the comment.
The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor is one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, so the fact that he doesn’t feel comfortable as a celebrity might come as a shock for most. The actor said that posing with fans is one thing but photoshoots, he finds intrusive. Johnny told Vanity Fair that (at photo shoots): “Well, you just feel like you’re being raped somehow. Raped. The whole thing. It feels like a kind of weird, just weird, man…Whenever you have a photo shoot or something like that, it’s like—you just feel dumb. It’s just so stupid.”
However, everyone has to get paid, so Johnny Depp doesn’t say no to the money. Although he feels that way about photoshoots, he says that: “Basically, if they’re going to pay me the stupid money right now, I’m going to take it. I have to. I mean, it’s not for me. Do you know what I mean? At this point, it’s for my kids. It’s ridiculous, yeah, yeah. But ultimately is it for me? No. No. It’s for the kids.”
At the comments with regards to rape, RAINN took a firm position and fired a comment directed towards the actor. RAINN’s spokesperson Katherine Hull tells E! News that: “While photos may feel at times intrusive, being photographed in no way compares to rape, a violent crime which affects another American every two minutes. RAINN welcomes the opportunity to speak with Mr. Depp and educate him about the real life experiences faced by survivors every day, and ways that he can work with RAINN to help.”
It seems that the message got through to Johnny Deep as he immediately fired a response and apologised for the uninspired comment. The actor decided to take the blame and wrote a letter of apology to RAINN, in which he stated: “Dear RAINN, I am truly sorry for offending anyone in any way. I never meant to. It was a poor choice of words on my part in an effort to explain a feeling. I understand there is no comparison and I am very regretful. In an effort to correct my lack of judgement, please accept my heartfelt apology. Sincerely, Johnny Depp.”
Apparently, the apology was accepted by RAINN and the organization even expressed its hope to work with Mr. Depp to help rape victims.
Photos courtesy of Vanity Fair Photographs by Terry Richardson