Is Lily-Rose Depp really free from her father's shadow? The 23 year old actress returns to the Cannes red carpet for the second time. The controversial series TV The Idol is presented out of competition
Lily-Rose Depp is once again at the Cannes Film Festival. At just 23 years old, the daughter of art and it-girl is attending for the second time. The first was in 2016, with the film La Danseuse directed by Stéphanie Di Giusto. The second is instead the controversial TV series The Idol, in which she plays the female lead and which will be screened out of competition. The Idol, directed by Sam Levinson, creator of Euphoria, and The Weeknd and conceived for HBO, has not yet seen the light of day but is already a case. Just two months ago, multiple sources revealed to Rolling Stone in detail how the series, meant to be a satire of celebrity in a post-Trump world full of manipulative forces and dark spots, has morphed into what it was meant to critique, one change and delay in production after another. There was no shortage of voices calling the series a "torture porn shitshow" and "rape fantasy".
His unwieldy presence opened the film festival. The Caribbean pirate stars in the non-competitive film Jeanne Du Barry - The King's Favourite and walked the red carpet on the opening day. The actor is at the centre of a number of controversies. First and foremost is his history of media lawsuits, accusations and defences against his ex-wife Amber Heard, which prompted activist and journalist Eve Barlow, a close friend of the actress, to launch the hashtag #CannesYouNot and point the finger directly at the event's organisation. And that's not all. There's his recent proximity to Saudi Arabia, posing for a selfie with Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr and the founder of the Red Sea Film Festival, which funded the post-production of Jeanne Du Barry. The 20-million contract for Dior Sauvage, the French brand's flagship men's fragrance, adds fuel to the fire of online and offline rumours.
Indeed, this will be her first red carpet after going public with the affair to showcase a product that has raised more than a murmur online and with her father's cloud overshadowing her. In short, she has a lot of thoughts to process. It's hard not to wonder what lies in her near future, as well as her distant one. A final departure from the big screen in favour of the small screen? A surprising commentary on her father's affairs after years of silence? An overwhelming international fame that will take her even further up the ladder than her parents? Lily-Rose Depp has plenty of time to find out. And we with her.
