Johnny Depp accepts lifetime achievement award and says ‘no one safe’ from cancel culture

Hollywood star Johnny Depp attended the San Sebastián Film Festival this week where he received a lifetime achievement award.

The actor said that he is a victim of cancel culture and that “no one is safe” from the movement, calling on people to “stand up” for people facing “injustice”.

“It can be seen as an event in history that lasted for however long it lasted, this cancel culture, this instant rush to judgement based on what essentially amounts to polluted air,” he commented ahead of receiving the honorary Donostia Award at this year’s San Sebastian Film Festival.

“It’s so far out of hand now that I can promise you that no one is safe. Not one of you. No one out that door. No one is safe,” he continued.

“It takes one sentence and there’s no more ground, the carpet has been pulled. It’s not just me that this has happened to, it’s happened to a lot of people. This type of thing has happened to women, men. Sadly at a certain point they begin to think that it’s normal. Or that it’s them. When it’s not.”

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor lost a libel battle with a British tabloid that labelled him a “wife beater” last year when a London court ruled he had repeatedly assaulted his former partner, US actor Amber Heard.

Johnny said that the Aquaman star’s allegations were a “hoax”.

However, in the aftermath of the libel trial, that actor said he was asked to step down from his role in the Fantastic Beasts film franchise.

Johnny later acknowledged that he was “worried” that his appearance at the festival this year “would offend people” and that he “didn’t want to offend anyone”.

He praised the event, its director Jose Luis Rebordinos, and the mayor of San Sebastian for their “undying support” and for “not buying what has been, for far too long, some notion of me that doesn’t exist”.

“I haven’t done anything, I just make movies,” the actor added.

He is the second recipient of the accolade this year. On Friday, French actor Marion Cotillard received the statue from Spanish actor Penelope Cruz.