Depp walks away from the tree, heading for another. At one point in his short journey, he moves in slow motion. His blank stare remains fixed on the camera, aside from the brief moments when he switches to the coordinated dancers he passes or to the tree he approaches and gently hugs.
It all takes about 40 seconds in a special that’s that many minutes long, but Depp’s very inclusion in “Vol. 4” sparked days of outrage in the run-up to its Wednesday release on Prime Video. The 59-year-old actor has been a polarizing presence these days, with anger towards him stemming from her ex-wife Amber Heard’s accusations that he abused her during the course of her relationship, which ended in 2016. .
In June, Depp won his high-profile defamation lawsuit against Heard over a 2018 op-ed in which she portrayed herself as representative of domestic abuse; he received $15 million, while she received $2 million after the jury found that Depp’s lawyer, Adam Waldman, defamed Heard (one of three counts in her countersuit).
Depp was back in business shortly after the verdict. He created a TikTok account that garnered 16.5 million followers and announced that he would be releasing an album with British guitarist Jeff Beck. He has booked film projects, including a biopic of artist Modigliani that Depp will direct and co-produce with Al Pacino. Dior continued to support Depp, who has been the famous face of its Sauvage cologne since 2015.
Rihanna isn’t the first to publicly support Depp, and “Vol. 4” isn’t the first surprise appearance Depp has made this year: In August, he made a rare virtual cameo at the MTV Video Music Awards as Moonperson, the VMA mascot who usually appears in trophy form. But given Rihanna’s enormous influence as a pop superstar and billionaire business mogul, Depp’s critics have argued that he is misusing his platform. On social media, Depp’s ardent fan base interpreted his appearance in “Vol. 4” as Rihanna, a prominent survivor of domestic abuse, showing her solidarity with Depp, who has denounced Heard for abusing him.
Rihanna, whose business ventures Savage X Fenty and Fenty Beauty have been praised for serving diverse sets of consumers, has also received praise for the inventiveness of her Savage X Fenty shows, which have previously been hosted by celebrities. Depp appears in “Vol. 4” alongside Hollywood stars like Winston Duke, Taraji P. Henson and Sheryl Lee Ralph, as well as supermodels like Joan Smalls and Cara Delevingne. Representatives for Savage X Fenty have not responded to The Washington Post’s request for comment about Depp’s appearance on the show.
Earlier this year, news broke that Depp planned to appeal the $2 million verdict of Heard’s countersuit; Virginia Court of Appeals records indicate his legal team officially filed last week.