Johnny Depp says he’s being boycotted by Hollywood as he calls his situation ‘unpleasant and messy’

Actor appears to express disappointment that his film ‘Minamata’ has yet to be released in the US

Johnny Depp has revealed he feels he is being boycotted by Hollywood, as the US remains the only territory yet to release his new film, Minamata.

The 58-year-old stars in the movie as W Eugene Smith, the photographer who helped expose the mercury poisoning scandal in the Japanese town, Minamata.

Director Andrew Lewis had previously accused MGM of “burying” the movie due to Depp’s ongoing personal problems in an open letter last month.

He claimed the studio was concerned that “the personal issues of an actor in the film could reflect negatively upon them”, later accusing MGM of failing in its “moral obligation” to release the film and demanding they explain to the victims “why you think an actor’s personal life is more important than their dead children”.

MGM responded by saying Minamata continued to be among future releases but its release date was “TBA”.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Depp spoke about his current position in the film industry.

“We looked these people in the eyeballs and promised we would not be exploitative,” he said of Minamata. “That the film would be respectful. I believe that we’ve kept our end of the bargain, but those who came in later should also maintain theirs.”

“Some films touch people,” he continued. “And this affects those in Minamata and people who experience similar things. And for anything... For Hollywood’s boycott of me? One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?”

The interview noted that Depp trailed off before adding: “But, you know, I’m moving towards where I need to go to make all that... To bring things to light.”

In November last year, Depp lost a libel lawsuit in London against The Sun’s publisher after a 2018 headline labelled him a “wife beater” in relation to his ex-wife, Amber Heard.

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File image: Amber Heard at the Royal Courts of Justice, the Strand on 28 July 2020 in London, England (Getty Images)

Depp also lost a bid to overturn the High Court ruling in March this year.

Earlier this month, however, he scored a rare legal victory as he seeks to discover whether Heard carried out her pledge to donate the proceeds of her $7m (£5m) divorce settlement to charity.