“No one is safe” – Johnny Depp blasts “cancel culture” as he receives award

Depp also described the nature of cancel culture as that of "polluted air".

Johnny Depp has come out to criticise cancel culture, stating that "no one is safe" and comparing the current atmosphere around him to "polluted air". As reported by Deadline, Depp appeared at the San Sebastián Film Festival in Spain on Wednesday (22 September) where he was receiving an honorary Donostia Award, which recognises outstanding contributions to cinema. The 58-year-old actor, perhaps aware his presence may cause a stir given his ongoing libel case involving ex-wife Amber Heard and The Sun, admitted that he was “worried” that his attendance “would offend people” and that he “didn’t want to offend anyone". Depp was called a "wife beater" by the tabloid in 2013 and was ultimately denied his chance to appeal earlier this year. He now claims he is a victim of cancel culture, stating: “It can be seen as an event in history that lasted for however long it lasted, this cancel culture, this instant rush to judgement based on what essentially amounts to polluted air". Depp went on to say that “It’s so far out of hand now that I can promise you that no one is safe. Not one of you. No one out that door. No one is safe. It takes one sentence and there’s no more ground, the carpet has been pulled. "It’s not just me that this has happened to, it’s happened to a lot of people. This type of thing has happened to women, men. Sadly, at a certain point they begin to think that it’s normal. Or that it’s them. When it’s not.” As per The Guardian, the president of Spain’s Association of Female Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media, Cristina Andreu, released a statement saying that awarding this honour to Depp “transmits a terrible message to the public. "It doesn’t matter if you are an abuser as long as you are a good actor," Andreu added. Nevertheless, Depp insisted, “I haven’t done anything, I just make movies", while praising the event and its director, Jose Luis Rebordinos for their “undying support” and for “not buying what has been, for far too long, some notion of me that doesn’t exist".