The San Sebastian Festival just made something official that practically no one expected: Johnny depp has been chosen to receive the Donostia award in the edition of the contest to be held this coming September.
Lights and shadows
Keep in mind that Depp’s career is not exactly at its best. Immersed in a tough legal battle with Amber Heard, Depp left ‘Fantastic Beasts 3’ at the request of Warner and Disney has already made it clear that his intention is to continue with the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise without counting on his unforgettable Jack Sparrow.
All this leads to the decision to choose Depp to receive the Donostia award is condemned to controversy. It will be next September 22 when the famous actor collects the award before the screening of ‘La hija’, a film directed by Manuel Martín Cuenca that will be screened out of competition in San Sebastián.
However, the controversy is not so much in whether he really deserves the award for his artistic merits, but because his public image is currently in tatters. It matters little to some that he is an actor with three Oscar nominations -for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’, ‘Discovering Neverland’ and ‘Sweeney Todd: The Devilish Barber of Fleet Street’ – and a career full of successes, both critically and publicly – although not necessarily both at the same time.
Let’s not forget either that since his debut in ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’, Depp has participated in such memorable titles as ‘Platoon’, ‘Eduardo Scissorhands’, ‘Ed Wood’, ‘Fear and loathing in Las Vegas’, ‘Public Enemies’ or ‘The Lone Ranger’.