The decision to feature Johnny Depp on the front cover of British GQ has not been well-received on social media.
Depp appears on the cover of the magazine’s November issue with the headline: “An outlaw talks (and talks and talks…). The divorce. The violence. The excess. The vengeance.”
The magazine has been accused of romanticising the actor’s recent personal scandal, most notably the accusations that he physically abused his ex-wife Amber Heard, who later split her divorce settlement between two charities, one of which specialised in helping victims of domestic abuse.
In particular, the language used to describe Depp has been a point of contention among people on Twitter, specifically the word “outlaw”:
The interview itself faced similar criticism, particularly as Depp reflected on how recent years have affected his public perception, as he goes into detail about the abuse allegations:
Reflecting on Heard’s allegations, he tells the magazine: “How could someone, anyone, come out with something like that against someone, when there’s no truth to it whatsoever?
“I’m sure it wasn’t easy for my 14-year-old boy to go to school, you know what I mean? With people going, ‘Hey, look at this magazine, man. What, your dad beats up chicks or something?’ Why did he have to go through that? Why did my daughter have to go through that?”
He added: “We probably shouldn’t be talking about this, but I am worried.
“I worry about the people that bought it and I worry about her. It’s just not right. I will never stop fighting. I’ll never stop. They’d have to fucking shoot me. An episode like this takes time to get over.”
After reaching a settlement in 2016, the former couple said in a joint statement: “Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love.
“Neither party has lied nor made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm. Amber wishes the best for Johnny in the future.
“Amber will be donating financial proceeds from the divorce to a charity. There will be no further public statements about this matter.”
The actress later disclosed she’d split her settlement between the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), with the specific intention that it be put towards “stopping violence against women”, and a children’s hospital.