PARIS - Johnny Depp's comeback film is full of scandal both on-screen and off as he tests out his French in the role of King Louis XV.
There were rumours Depp only had a few minutes of screentime in "Jeanne du Barry", which opens the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday and has a nationwide release in France the same day.
But the 59-year-old actor is present for much of the film, even if his dialogue is kept to short phrases that help disguise his American accent.
Depp plays the 18th-century monarch who fell in love with a prostitute to the horror of much of his family and court.
He signed up for the role before the court cases against ex-wife Amber Heard involving bitter accusations of domestic violence that threatened to derail his career.
Maiwenn, the French star who directs and plays the lead role in "Jeanne du Barry", admitted she was worried about the impact of the trials.
But Maiwenn said she had no doubts about casting Depp.
"It was so clear (he was right for the role)," she said, though she approached two French actors first.
Depp gives an impressive physical performance -- mostly through amused and imperious facial expressions -- and his short bursts of dialogue suggest a decent level of French for the actor, who was previously married to French star Vanessa Paradis.
The film is a grand costume affair, shot in the Palace of Versailles, and its $20-million budget was part-funded by Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Film Foundation.
Maiwenn dismissed any ethical concerns about taking cash from the kingdom, which is accused of spending lavishly on culture and sports to distract from its myriad human rights abuses.
"It's proof that mentalities are evolving," she said. "And the 18th century is expensive."