What Scandal? Johnny Depp Getting Lifetime Achievement Award at Film Fest

Two years after his legal battles against ex-wife Amber Heard ended, Johnny Depp will receive a lifetime achievement honor at the 2024 Rome Film Festival, which begins Oct. 16. The actor plans to screen his recent directorial venture, Modi—Three Days on the Wing of Madness, starring French actress Antonia Desplat and Riccardo Scamarcio, at the Italian festival. Modi, which follows artist Amedeo Modigliani in early 20th-century Paris, is Depp’s second shot at directing after his ill-received 1997 film The Brave. Depp’s international honor comes as the actor is still controversial in the U.S. following abuse allegations from Heard and his subsequent lawsuit against her for defamation, which he won. The court of public opinion, however, remains divided about the verdict. Depp is one of two individuals being celebrated at the Rome festival, alongside Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen, who is now starring in the Western Dead Don’t Hurt, which he also wrote and directed.