On July 10, the Russian media spread a message that Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp was going to visit Russia. Gazeta.ru wrote :
“Actor Johnny Depp will come to Moscow in the fall. This was reported to Gazeta.Ru by the press service of the Yamore group. Representatives of the musicians said that negotiations with the actor's team have been going on since 2018, namely, from the moment Depp performed at the Olimpiyskiy as part of the Hollywood Vampires.
“Basically, all these years, we communicated in the spirit of: 'How are you?' In 2020, we had the idea to record a song together, we threw this idea to Depp's management. Negotiations were held for two years, everything was complicated by the fact that Depp was suing Amber Heard. A year ago, after winning in court, they wrote to me that he was ready to come, ”said Mikhail Lisov, a member of Yamora.
According to the musician, a fee of $370 thousand was agreed with the Hollywood actor, as well as excursions along the route Kaliningrad – Zelenogradsk – Curonian Spit – Svetlogorsk – the village of Yantarny. Lisov added that initially Depp was offered a larger fee, but the team of the Pirates of the Caribbean star made a response offer – for a smaller amount, but with a tour of Russia.
“We have a video call with the actor in two weeks. Exciting, of course, although Johnny is very easy to communicate with, does not pretend to be anyone, a cool man. Preparations are already underway for his arrival, and the realization that this is not a dream has not yet come, ”Lisov admitted.”
Other media, including Moskovsky Komsomolets, Lenta.ru (she titled her publication "The timing of Johnny Depp's arrival in Russia revealed", Sputnik radio station (owned by MIA Rossiya Segodnya and broadcasts on the frequency of the liquidated Ekho Moskvy) , the newspaper "Culture", also spread this news with reference to Lisov.
A few days later the story was continued. On July 13, RIA Novosti published an article under the heading "Johnny Depp Addresses Russian Fans", which says:
“Hollywood actor Johnny Depp has recorded a video message for Russian fans ahead of the premiere of Jeanne DuBarry,” Eprimefeed reported.
In his message, the actor noted that he was proud of his work and thanked the viewers for watching. He also promised to see his fans soon.
Depp played the role of the French King Louis XV in the film.
This is not the first time the actor has made a video message for his Russian fans. In 2021, he released a video dedicated to the premiere of the film The Great.
This week it became known that the Russian group "YAMORE" is negotiating a joint recording of a track with a celebrity. According to media reports, Depp's fee will be 370 thousand dollars. He will also be given a tour in Kaliningrad and several other cities.”
This is where the sensational story about the actor's arrival in Russia ended. Everything turned out to be untrue – both the planned recording of the song with a little-known Russian group, and the appeal to Russian viewers. Depp's assistant Steven Deuters, having learned about the news spread in Russia, wrote on Twitter:
"No. This video was recorded for the film's global premiere. And there will be no visits to Russia.”
Depp's short address, which was shown in Russian cinemas before the premiere of Jeanne Dubarry, was in English, and it was translated into Russian with subtitles. It ends with the usual farewell: Take care, bye, thank you – “take care of yourself, bye, thank you.” But the subtitles read “Take care of yourself and see you!”, which the media associated with the actor’s plans to visit Russia.
However, as it turned out, Johnny Depp recorded a special appeal to Russian viewers. Only this is not the same Depp – not a star of world cinema, but a Russian artist who officially changed his name to Johnny Depp. So in Russia, Depp was also subjected to import substitution.