Woody Allen, Gerard Depardieu and Johnny Depp into a restaurant.
This is not the beginning of a bad joke – the three controversial men are looming over the most popular restaurants in the south of France and have been for years.
La Pizza Cresci, a famous attraction frequented by Hollywood players for decades Cannes Film Festivalimmortalizing the trio in a massive mural of the movie saga.
The portrait is on the second floor of the restaurant, opposite the panoramic view of the French Riviera. As guests ate pasta and creamy burrata on their plates, they couldn’t help but make eye contact with a clarinet-playing illustration, Allen (who was accused of rape by his then-7-year-old adopted daughter Dylan in 1992. Big eyes, Larger than life, an image of Depardieu (who is under investigation in Paris for alleged rape and sexual assault) appears at the forefront of the painting, just inches below Sharon Stone’s rendering, depicted with ample cleavage.
To be fair, the mural was painted before Depardieu was accused of rape by an unidentified French actress in 2018. Most of the subjects on the frescoes are well-respected, uncontroversial icons. The list includes George Clooney, Marion Cotillard, Clint Eastwood, Elizabeth Taylor, Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci and Marilyn Monroe.
However, the most realistic face on the wall is that of Johnny Depp – an adorable drawing of eating pizza with a knife and fork. (Quelle horreur!)
The mural is a game for diners, whose aim is to compete to see how many faces they can spot. But this year, tourists have noticed how awkward it was to stare at the cartoon character Depp as the US staged his libel trial against former Amber Heard.
As for the other two? “It’s no big deal, everyone knows who Depardieu is,” said a diner at La Pizza in France.
A duty manager at La Pizza told type Said Depp had not been to a Cannes restaurant, but reportedly ate at a sister restaurant in Nice. In addition, he added, there are several chairs in the dining room with placards from famous former guests. A man dedicated to Harvey Weinstein was removed after his fall, said a manager who declined to be named. He added that the owners of La Pizza would have to decide to revise Allen’s placement in the mural.
The owner is unlikely to decide to remove Allen, Depp or even Depardieu (who has been accused of rape in France) from its mural, as the trio are still celebrating in France. Depardieu remains one of France’s biggest stars, and Depp was recently honored at the Deauville Film Festival in Normandy. He is also the face of the fragrance Dior Sauvage and plays Louis XV in Maiwenn’s next big costume film. Meanwhile, Allen’s next film, “The Rifkin Festival,” opens in French theaters on July 13. The “Annie Hall” director is rumored to be shooting his next film in Paris.
The La Pizza mural clashes with recent changes attempted to be implemented at the Cannes Film Festival, which seeks to become more inclusive of women and people of color (though Slow progress). Festival organizers are trying to catch up with an industry trying to implement sweeping changes in the #MeToo era.
A painting isn’t the only sign that Cannes is still lagging behind in its fight against alleged abusers. Disgraced actor Kevin Spacey, accused of sexual misconduct by multiple men, has two films seeking financing in the film market around Cannes: the historical drama “1242 – Gate to the West” and the dramatic thriller “Peter 58” . There are also rumors that a new film by convicted rapist Roman Polanski could be shown to potential buyers at this year’s festival.
Depp is currently on trial in Virginia in a $50 million libel case against his ex-wife Heard, but lost a defamation trial in the UK in 2020, in which Depp sued a tabloid for calling him a “wife beater.”
Another La Pizza customer from Paris put it simply: “Johnny Depp is the rock star of France.”
Currently, he’s not going anywhere at this popular pizzeria.
