Johnny Depp is back in the news this week over newly resurfaced allegations that he indulged in out-of-control behavior on a 2001 movie set and was verbally abusive towards a woman.
Depp has denied the allegations, which come from actor Lola Glaudini and go back to when she did a scene with him in his drug-crime drama, “Blow.” Glaudini has said that Depp had a meltdown on her first day on the set after he perceived that she tried to break his focus during a dramatic monologue. She said he hurled expletives at her, called her an “idiot” and told her to “shut the (expletive) up.”
In a statement to Deadline, Depp’s representatives told Deadline: “Johnny always prioritizes good working relationships with cast and crew and this recounting differs greatly from the recollection of other members on set at the time.”
Glaudini, best known for her role in “Criminal Minds,” shared her story of her difficult encounter with Depp in a Jan. 30 episode of the podcast, “Powerful Truth Angels,” Deadline reported.
Glaudini’s statements about Depp recently began to make the rounds on social media. They’ve also resurfaced as the once popular “Pirates of the Caribbean” star has been attempting a career comeback. Depp spent 2023 trying to promote “Jeanne du Barry,” a French language historical biography in which he plays 18th-century French King Louis XV.
But Depp’s critics don’t believe he deserves a smooth comeback. Even though he won his defamation case against Heard, his critics say that the trial still showed that he has a history self-indulgent, out-of-control behavior, especially when he’s under the influence of alcohol or other substances.
On “Powerful Truth Angels,” Glaudini recounted her experience on the set of “Blow,” which she said was first time working on a studio movie. She said she was excited to be working a talented star like Depp, who played a real-life U.S. drug trafficker.
For her first scene with Depp, Glaudini said that director Ted Demme told her to “burst out laughing” while the actor delivered a monologue, Deadline reported.
“I hear the cue, and I go haha, I do a big laugh or whatever,” Glaudini said. “Johnny Depp, when they say cut, walks over to me, comes up to me, sticks his finger in my face and he goes, ‘Who the (expletive) do you think you are? Who the (expletive) do you think you are? Shut the (expletive) up. I’m out here, and I’m trying to (expletive) say my lines and you’re (expletive) pulling focus. You (expletive) idiot.”
When Depp saw that she was upset by his outburst, Glaudini said he continued to taunt her, according to Deadline. “Oh, now, oh now it’s not so funny?” Depp reportedly said. “Now you can shut up? Now you can (expletive) shut the (expletive) up? The quiet that you are right now, that’s how you (expletive) stay.”
But someone who worked in the sound department for “Blow” said he didn’t hear or witness such an outburst from Depp. In an interview with Variety, Sam Sarkar said: “As a sound person, you’re constantly listening to what is going on on set, listening for noises, listening for chatter. In fact, specifically, I would listen to Johnny’s audio to check for interference, both during rehearsals and during the take. I never heard anything like that – and that would have been a remarkable event.”
Glaudini, though, recalled on the podcast that Depp approached her later and gave her “a non-apology apology,” Deadline reported.
“He said, ‘You know, so earlier I was really in my head and staying in my character, I’m doing this Boston accent, and it’s really (messing) with me. So I’m a little tense and stuff. So I just wanted to make sure we’re cool and everything?’”
Glaudini explained that she acted “cool” because she thought that’s what was expected of her.
“I just looked at him, and I was like, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’” Glaudini said. “Of course, what are you talking about? Totally cool.’”
Glaudini also said that Demme, who died in 2002, didn’t apologize to her after the incident, saying “he didn’t come over and say anything,” making her feel she was “totally hung out to dry.”
While Depp’s representative said that the actor “prioritizes good working relationships” with the cast and crew of his films, that hasn’t necessarily been everyone’s experience with him. According to a 2023 report by Jezebel, “Hollywood insiders have long had words on Depp’s lack of professionalism — particularly his reputation for tardiness and disrespecting others on set.”
Among other things, Jezebel reported, Depp was sued in 2018 for sued in 2018 for punching a crew member on set of his film “City of Lies,” while drunk, a case that Depp settled in 2022.