Johnny Depp has had, it’s fair to say, a rocky few years in Hollywood.
After a public divorce and subsequent defamation trial involving ex-wife Amber Heard — claims of domestic violence and extensive abuse erupting from both parties — he is dipping a toe back in the film waters with Modi — Three Days on the Wing of Madness.
Depp’s second directorial feature, Modi follows a few days in the life of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. Riccardo Scamarcio stars in the titular role alongside Antonia Desplat, Al Pacino and Stephen Graham. Backdropped by Paris in the middle of World War II, the film focuses on the painter and sculptor as he grapples with his artistic freedom, pride and class-based snobbery while searching for recognition.
It was, Depp revealed at the movie’s press conference Tuesday, Al Pacino who urged the actor — or in this case, director — to take it on. “When Pacino speaks, you must listen,” the Pirates of the Caribbean star told the room of reporters at the San Sebastian Film Festival.
The film is receiving its world premiere on the Spanish coast with Depp and his cast putting on a united front. “Let’s celebrate Johnny and this movie,” Scamarcio tells The Hollywood Reporter. His co-star, Antonia Desplat, adds: “People need to move on.”
Depp likened his bumpy life to Modigliani’s at the press conference. “I’m sure we can say that I’ve been through a number of things here and there. Maybe yours didn’t turn into a soap opera,” he said, referencing the trial. “I mean, literally, televised.”
His cast are nothing but complimentary — and that’s an understatement. They describe him as full of love and “a fatherly figure,” who has “heart and trust.” Below, Scamarcio and Desplat speak candidly about what it is to be on a Depp set, while the film’s supporting cast — Bruno Gouery, Luisa Ranieri, and Ryan McParland — weigh in too. “He’s the…
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