Johnny Depp’s surprise “appearance” during this year’s MTV Video Music Awards has raised eyebrows among some viewers.
During Sunday night’s live ceremony, the actor made a series of pre-recorded virtual cameos, with his face being projected onto a floating recreation of the VMAs’ Moon Person statuette.
“I needed the work,” he said in one such appearance, while in another he commented that he was available for “birthdays, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, weddings, wakes, anything you need… anything”.
“Oh, I’m also a dentist,” he added.
After an ad break, the Depp projection was also heard saying: “Let’s get back to the fucking music, shall we?”
MTV’s decision to include the former Pirates Of The Caribbean performer in the ceremony generated a lot of conversation online, with many questioning exactly what he had to do with the VMAs:
The VMAs marked one of Depp’s first on-screen appearances since a judge ruled in his favour in the high-profile defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard earlier this year, over a 2018 article she wrote for the Washington Post.
Although the article did not mention Depp by name, his lawyers claimed that it falsely implied he had physically and sexually abused her during their relationship.
Despite Depp’s on-stage claim at the VMAs he “needed the work”, it was recently announced that he is gearing up to direct his first film in over 25 years, having also landed a leading part in an upcoming Netflix biopic of Louis XV.
This year’s VMAs saw rapper Jack Harlow taking home four awards, while Taylor Swift set a new record when she became the first artist to win in the Video Of The Year category three times.
Other winners on the night included Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X and Nicki Minaj, who was awarded the Video Vanguard title, as well as hosting the show.