Johnny Depp has reportedly signed a new deal with Dior worth $20 million (£16 million), which would make it the most lucrative men’s fragrance deal in history. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor has been the face of Dior Sauvage fragrance for men since 2015. With previous reports revealing that Dior sold a bottle of Sauvage every three seconds in 2021, it’s safe to say that the partnership has been lucrative for both sides.

It also explains why, despite countless brands and Hollywood projects deciding to part ways with the 59-year-old, the French luxury fashion house stood by the actor all the way through his highly-publicised defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard in 2022.

Citing sources who asked to remain anonymous, both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter disclosed that the star had signed a three-year extension with the brand worth upwards of $20 million. The former highlighted that Depp’s figures eclipse “Robert Pattinson’s $12 million deal to serve as a spokesperson for Dior Homme and Brad Pitt’s $7 million pact to promote Chanel No. 5.”

Months after Depp came out victorious from his defamation trial, Dior posted photos of the actor backstage in Paris before performing with the late musician Jeff Beck. In its caption, Dior Beauty called the actor “fearless yet human, just like Sauvage.”

During a financial presentation in January 2023, Bernard Arnault, CEO of Dior’s parent company LVMH, said the “remarkable success” of the fragrance was “driven by the image of Johnny Depp.”

In just a couple of days, the actor’s new film, Jeanne du Barry, will open this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

On the highly divisive decision, the festival’s director Thierry Fremaux said: “I don’t see Maïwenn’s film as a controversial choice at all, because if Johnny Depp had been banned from working it would have been different, but that’s not the case. We only know one thing, it’s the justice system and I think he won the legal case. But the movie isn’t about Johnny Depp.”

Ever since Johnny Depp stripped bare and shaved off his beard, he’s had a bit of an identity crisis. Known across the globe for his ‘rockstar’ locks and permanently scruffy beard, Depp quite literally said ‘it’s out with the old and in with the new’, ditching his facial hair for a cleaner—albeit slightly off putting—new look.

However, now it appears the Pirates of the Caribbean star is having a tough time proving to fans that he is who he says he is. On 23 October 2022, a clip began circulating on the video-sharing platform TikTok. Shared by creator and Depp superfan, @myjohnnydepp_1, the actor is seen perched up against a wall, seemingly trying to convince an excited fan that he is in fact the man behind everyone’s favourite rum-loving pirate—the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow.

Almost instantly after hearing the characters name spoken, Depp launches into a spookily realistic imitation of his beloved character, slurring his words, donning a British accent, and mimicking Sparrow’s immediately recognisable mannerisms.

@tammydepp_1

This is another video of Johnny spending time with Christine Kelly ( the wonderful lady that made us all cry when she met Johnny. @johnnydepp #johnnydepp #johnnydeppforever #johnnydeppsbigheart #beautifulsoul (credit to Christinekelly838)

♬ original sound - TammyDepp

While many netizens have shared their mutual confusion in regards to the self-proclaimed artist’s most recent visual transformation, others were equally shocked at how Depp could ever be mistaken for anyone else. Perhaps if he had been carrying a guitar, there would have been greater clarity?

One user wrote: “People saying it’s not Johnny… you do realise he shaves just like any other man on the planet right?”

There has been a barrage of conflicting claims over whether the actor will indeed reprise his role as Captain Sparrow in the franchise’s next film. During the highly-publicised trial between Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, fans launched a Change.org petition addressed to Disney, pleading with the corporation to ensure the actor would be involved in Pirates of the Caribbean 6. These pleas, however, proved unsuccessful.

During the 2022 trial earlier this year, Depp testified that “nothing on this earth” would convince him to return to the franchise, let alone a company that had previously cut ties with him. It seems that, at least for the foreseeable future, fans may only get to enjoy the memory of their beloved Captain Jack Sparrow through the power of the internet.