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Dior refuses to drop Johnny Depp as he loses case

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Updated on July 6, 2023

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Warner Bros. may have let Johnny Depp go from Fantastic Beasts 3, but Dior is still standing by the actor despite the actor losing his libel lawsuit against The Sun earlier this month. This week, Depp was highlighted in a commercial for the company’s Sauvage cologne that aired in the UK during The Great British Bake Off, indicating he will continue to serve as the scent’s ambassador. He reportedly received a TV advertisement payment of between $3 million and $5 million.

Since the product’s inception in 2015 with an ad campaign that drew criticism for its representation of Native Americans in a discriminatory manner, Depp has served as its ambassador. But many were taken aback to see a fragrance advertisement on television this week during The Great British Bake Off, portraying Depp playing the guitar.

Fans of the actor were eager to go to social media to express their support for Dior after learning that the fashion house declined to dump Depp in the same manner that Warner Bros. did. “Johnny Depp is still the face of Sauvage, because Dior aren’t idiots. Be like Dior,” One fan tweeted with the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp. This viewpoint is shared in several other postings by followers, including one that lauds Dior for “practically being the one sponsor left for Johnny Depp that hasn’t turned their back on him.”

A poll tweeted by The Chic Geek specifically asks followers whether Dior should continue to employ Depp in their ads, judging the level of popular support Depp still has. A total of 2,289 votes were cast, and 96.9% of participants chose “Yes,” with only 2.8% choosing “No.”

Depp’s appearance on television so soon after losing his libel case, however, did not please everyone. The Advertising Standards Authority was informed of a total of 11 complaints over the advertisement, with the complainants claiming that Johnny Depp shouldn’t be in the advertisement owing to information about his recent court case. While receiving complaints of any type is never a pleasant thing, Dior seems to be benefiting greatly from Depp’s support in terms of sales. The 11 complaints seem to be insignificant in comparison.

Internet searches for Sauvage have allegedly spiked by 23% in the days after Depp’s loss of both his libel lawsuit and his part in Fantastic Beasts 3. The cologne is also The Scent Shop’s top-selling male fragrance and is on The Perfume Shop’s bestsellers list. Given that the case is seriously jeopardizing Depp’s acting career, it would seem that many of his supporters are more motivated to assist him financially.

Bokowski said that by maintaining Depp as the fragrance’s face, the design house was hedging its chances.

A company like Dior, he said, “is not only looking at this region.” “The perception of Depp in the UK will change greatly from that in, say, eastern Europe.

“Brands hope for short-term memory loss and long-term amnesia. These fashion companies live in their own bubble, it’s like The Devil Wears Prada [film]. They live in a world where they are used to facing controversy.”

When Heard claimed in an op-ed that she had experienced domestic abuse, the public drama between Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard started. Later, Depp was referred to as a “wife-beater” in a The Sun piece. Disney apparently let Depp go from his Captain Jack Sparrow role in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series at the time. Depp has subsequently sued Heard and The Sun over the claims, and recently lost the latter case along with his part as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3.

In his defense, Depp maintains that Heard was the one who assaulted him physically. Depp’s attorneys released audio of Heard reportedly confessing to hitting Depp during the court dispute. This contributed to many fans supporting Depp’s version of events, igniting the #JusticeForJohnnyDepp movement, and motivating a petition to fire Heard from Aquaman 2 that has amassed over a million and a half signatures. Additionally, petitions have been started calling for Depp to return to Fantastic Beasts 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean.