Johnny Depp has finally responded to criticism after starring in the Dior Sauvage advertisement, which was heavily criticized as being offensive to Indigenous Peoples.
Depp, 56, was speaking at the Deauville American Film Festival about his upcoming film Waiting for the Barbarians when he addressed the controversy, saying the short clip didn’t accurately reflect the full scope of the project.
“A teaser, obviously, is a very concentrated version of images, and there were objections to the teaser of the small film,” he said, referring to the full-length version, called We Are the Land.
The short film, which was supposed to be released on Sept. 1, was directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino.
The since-deleted original clip featured dancer Canku Thomas One Star wearing traditional Indigenous regalia and dancing against a desert background.
Many people flocked to Twitter to express their disdain for the advertisement, with one person asking: “So all the proceeds are going to Native American tribes?” Another pointed out that “sauvage” is one letter away from a racial slur used against Indigenous Peoples.
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“It’s a pity that people jumped the gun and made these objections. However, their objections are their objections.”
Depp went on to say the French fashion house worked closely with the Comanche Nation and other advocacy groups while creating the film.
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“I can assure you that no one has any reason to go out to try to exploit,” he said. “It was a film made out of great respect and with great respect and love for the Native American Peoples to bring light to them.
“They haven’t had the greatest amount of help out of the United States government,” he added.
Canadian actress Tanaya Beatty — who co-starred with Depp in the longer version of the advertisement — had something to say about the clip when it was first shared a week ago.
Beatty, who is of Da’naxda’xw descent, mentioned feeling conflicted during the filming process.
“When we filmed it, I could only hope that it would start the conversation it now has,” she said.
“My intention is not to shame Dior or call out Johnny Depp,” Beatty wrote on Instagram. “The issues are far bigger than any advertisement.
“And having worked with them, I do believe Dior — though misguided — had every intention of showing Indigenous culture in a beautiful light while giving jobs to some Indians in the process,” she continued, adding that the way “Indigenous culture is shown in film is a byproduct of settler colonialism.”
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Depp has previously faced accusations of cultural appropriation and “redface” for playing Tonto, a Comanche character, in the 2013 film The Lone Ranger.
WNYC Studios’ The Takeaway called this one example of Hollywood’s “long tradition of non-Native actors playing Tonto,” which, according to the podcast, began in 1933 on the radio.
In 2012, Native Appropriations activist Adrienne Keene also wrote an article titled “Why Tonto Matters,” which broke down the significance of white actors playing Native American roles.
As of publication, Dior has not released any formal statement addressing the backlash against its Sauvage campaign.
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