Johnny Depp and hisPage real-life starring role in a ‘bromance’ with Saudi’s Crown Prince
JOHNNY Depp has struck up a ‘bromance’ with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince despite the kingdom’s appalling record on human rights.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman or ‘MBS’ has spent billions under his Vision 2030 plan to make Saudi Arabia a cultural and economic powerhouse by investing in the arts, sports and forging personal connections with stars.
The kingdom has long faced accusations of human rights abuses and lack of free speech after the horrific execution of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
But now Depp has grown so close to MBS that he has reportedly flown on his private plane and been on his yacht, bringing his guitar along to play songs.
Depp gave MBS a painting he did as a gift and spent seven weeks in Saudi Arabia touring around.
The Saudi government reportedly spent millions on Mr Depp’s comeback film ‘Jeanne du Barry’ and is reported to be in talks to give him an annual seven-figure contract.
Last night Depp told Vanity Fair: ‘Though I admit I was somewhat naive to what was transpiring in the region, I’ve since experienced their cultural revolution – from emerging young storytellers radiating fresh ideas to a blossoming film infrastructure.
‘I’ve had the opportunity to meet people from various parts of the region who have been most welcoming in sharing with me their stories.’
Depp, 60, struck up a friendship with MBS, 38, after his defamation cases in the UK and US involving his ex-wife Amber Heard which initially appeared to have harmed his reputation and he was dropped from the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
Depp was found to have domestically abused Ms Heard when he lost a libel case in the UK in 2020.
Two years later a series of further disturbing details, including accusations of sexual abuse, were made public after he successfully sued Heard for libel in the US.
Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud, Riyadh’s culture minister, made inquiries with friends in Hollywood and discovered that Jeanne du Barry, Depp’s French historical drama in which he plays Louis XV, was having trouble coming in under budget.
Saudi Arabia then spent millions on the movie, which had a final budget of $22.4million.
Prince Badr requested a meeting with Depp who was resistant but agreed to fly to Jeddah in 2022.
Depp was supposedly ‘wide-eyed’ at the changes in Saudi Arabia.
A friend of Depp said he and MBS ‘made a genuine connection’. They added: ‘It’s a shock to many of the people who know him, but it’s what happened.’ Depp visited MBS at his royal camp in the mountains on his second visit to Saudi Arabia early last year. He has also flown on MBS’s helicopter to his 439ft yacht, Serene, one of the largest in the world.
The two men are so close that Depp ‘summoned up the courage’ to ask what really happened to Mr Khashoggi, according to Vanity Fair.
MBS supposedly told him that he wanted the journalist arrested but ‘overeager underlings’ thought he would be ‘happy’ if Mr Khashoggi were killed. MBS said he didn’t order the murder but took responsibility, the line which he has taken publicly even though the CIA concluded that he did order the hit.
The killing of Mr Khashoggi left Saudi Arabia a pariah among Western nations but it has since been welcomed back thanks to its vast oil reserves and work as a broker for negotiations during the war in Gaza.
After the Vanity Fair report a source close to Depp said: ‘There is a friendship there based on an appreciation of film, culture and regional progress. They do not discuss or align on global politics.’
‘Made a genuine connection’