Hollywood thrives on high-profile connections from various fields right from sports and business to politics and underworld. It is never a surprise to see rich celebrities mixing up businesses with pleasure, and not necessarily of the romantic or sexual sorts.
Many Hollywood celebrities end up growing close to sportsperson and politicians both romantically as well as otherwise. There are some great celebrity friendships that have set an example of true camaraderie in front of the world. In one such recent and surprising example, it has been reported that actor Johnny Depp has developed a close friendship, or “bromance”, with Saudi Arabia Crown Prince.
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How Did Johnny Depp Become Friends With Prince Mohammed Bin Salman?
According to a Vanity Fair report, ‘The Pirates of the Caribbean’ star Johnny Depp has become an important friend to Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), after the actor spent around seven weeks touring Saudi Arabia. The friendship has gone so far that the two have also started trusting each other for some huge business deals.
Reports suggest that MBS is considering a potential seven-figure deal with Depp to make him a global cultural ambassador for the country while shooting movies there. The news was confirmed by none other than Depp himself.
“Though I admit I was somewhat naïve at first to what was transpiring in the region, I’ve since experienced firsthand the cultural revolution that is happening there,” Depp told Vanity Fair. His magazine profile also revealed that Depp spent around seven weeks in the past year in Saudi Arabia, touring the country and getting a firsthand look at its cultural renaissance led by MBS.
“I’ve had the opportunity to meet people from various parts of the region who have been most welcoming in sharing with me their culture, their traditions, and their stories,” Depp told the magazine as he addressed the reports about becoming best friends with MBS.
Depp’s magazine profile details Depp’s interactions with MBS, including discussions about the cultural transformation in Saudi Arabia. The Red Sea Film Foundation has already provided backing for Depp’s upcoming directorial project, ‘Modi’ — a biopic about Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani — starring Al Pacino. Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival has also offered postproduction financing for Depp’s period drama ‘Jeanne du Barry’.
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Saudi Prince And Johnny Depp Are Both Benefitting From This Friendship. Here’s How
Vanity Fair also delved into a conversation between Depp and MBS about the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed by Saudi agents in 2018. The profile added that with an “earnest expression, MBS began laying out his argument that Khashoggi had become a rogue operative working with the country’s enemies to undermine the crown prince’s reform agenda.”
The magazine profile asserts that MBS did not see Khashoggi as a journalist, but “a corrupt enemy of the state, putting its future at risk for hidden motives.” It also suggests that an order to arrest Khashoggi given by MBS was misunderstood by Saudi operatives.
“Consistent with his public statements, MBS told Depp he didn’t order the murder but nonetheless took responsibility,” the profile stated. The profile suggests that Depp’s association with MBS is part of a broader effort by Saudi Arabia to gain legitimacy in the global film community after the Khashoggi incident.
However, it clarifies that there is no alignment in political views between Depp and MBS. “There is a friendship there based on an appreciation of film, culture and regional progress. They do not discuss or align on global politics,” a source close to the actor told THR.
Depp has recently faced legal battles and a public image crisis, and seemingly looking to rebuild his brand. So the friendship between these two celebrities reflected in the profile hints at the strategic benefits for both parties involved.
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