"He took it as an insult": Director Maïwenn reveals having creative differences with Johnny Depp over Jeanne du Barry script

In a recent interview, French director and writer Maïwenn opened up about facing difficulties with Johnny Depp while filming the historical drama Jeanne du Barry. While talking about her experience working with the famous actor, Maïwenn also revealed Depp would ignore her texts and often failed to show up on the set.

She told the Independent:

"Johnny came with a new version of the script and I wasn't happy with it. It didn't work... So I shot it without making the changes he wanted...which he took as an insult."

Jeanne du Barry is about the French king, Louis XV's favorite mistress, Jeanne. Maïwenn plays the role of Jeanne, while Depp plays Louis XV.

The movie is set to release in the U.S. on May 2, 2024.

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"All the crew were scared of him" - Maïwenn on working with Johnny Depp

Maïwenn revealed she and Johnny Depp butted heads several times during the shooting of the film. She added:

"I have to be honest. It's difficult to shoot with him...All the crew were scared because he has a different kind of humor and we didn't know if he was going to be on time, or if he was going to be OK to say his lines."

She continued:

"I mean, even if he was there on set, on time, the crew were afraid of him."

Maïwenn looked back on their shoot days together and said they had a pleasant relationship before they began filming, but things changed post the shoot. She added that although she believes the actor is a "genius", it was difficult for her to communicate with him.

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"I feel very lucky" - Johnny Depp on being offered his role in Jeanne Du Barry

At the UK premiere of Jeanne Du Barry on April 15, Depp was with Maïwenn on stage at the Curzon Theatre in Mayfair. He expressed how he felt about being offered the role of Louis XV in the film:

"I feel very lucky yo have been (offered the role) - strangely, oddly, perversely lucky. Because when Maïwenn and I first actually met and talked about the notion of me doing t he film and playing Louis XV, the King of France - see that's when instantly what happens in your brain is you instantly go back to Kentucky, where, like, everything is fried."

He revealed that when the idea of playing Louis XV was first proposed to him, it made no sense to him and he tried to talk her out of it. However, he claimed the French director wasn't hearing it and had "great courage" in casting him.

Meanwhile, Maïwenn said she had been wanting to make the film since 2016 after being obsessed with the story of Louis XV's mistress.