Johnny Depp Disavows Anti-American Quotes

[Democat]

Denying any anti-American sentiment on his part, actor Johnny Depp said on Thursday that quotes attributed to him as likening the United States to a "dumb puppy" were inaccurate and taken out of context.

"I am an American. I love my country and have great hopes for it," Depp said in a statement released by his Los Angeles-based publicist. "It is for this reason that I speak candidly and sometimes critically about it. I have benefited greatly from the freedom that exists in my country and for this I am eternally grateful."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030905/people_nm/people_depp_dc

[Cha]

1. wow! Talk about things getting mixed up and "out of context"!

I think Johnny Depp would own up to what he really did say...that's just my feeling~

[tjdee]

2. The remarks *were* to a German magazine...

It's possible something got lost in the translation, I've thought so from the beginning.

Depp speaks French, but not German, to my knowledge.

[dorktv]

6. Actually I thought Depp had become a French National

[tjdee]

9. Not sure--his wife and children are French...

You may be right?

I'm just saying for the purpose of the interview, if they needed a translator (which I'm assuming they did, as Depp doesn't speak German), certain phrases and little things wouldn't translate well into German. And, the way it was quoted sounded, to me, like a poor translation, from mouth to word. If I said "Oh yeah." there are millions of meanings.

So I'm glad he issued the statement.

[Paschall]

14. So maybe he's a dual national

Wanna get into that debate again? We've been around the block on that issue twice in the last week.

[Kellanved]

17. Yes - the German is very tame compared to the translation.

And he speaks French; his children speak only French.

Interview in German
http://www.stern.de/unterhaltung/film/index.html?id=512374&nv=ct_cb

[radwriter0555]

25. The same german magazine accusing don johnson of laundering

8 BILLION dollars I bet.

That turned out to be a TOTAL fabrication.

[Kellanved]

37. not to mention the Hitler Diaries

...

[supernova]

38. I was wondering

if Stern was the same mag that bought the "Hitler" diaries. LOL! Snotty bunch, ain't they?

[NashVegas]

7. Yes, He Should

It's not like the press doesn't distort quotes. Even when they are writing a positive article on you, some journalists will lift quotes out of context; sometimes they will offer up an opinion, and if you don't disagree explicitly they will present the opinion as yours, to back up their angle.

[CBGLuthier]

23. Wow DUers get around

I mean apparently some of them were in the room with Mr. Depp and know for a fact, a fact I tell you, that he said exactly what they said he said and he should';t change his words for anything.

[shance]

3. He didnt disavow. He just explained himself.

Which makes perfect sense.

We have the right and responsibility to speak what we think and feel or we are not America.

[Wickerman]

4. I thought Dumb puppy was a tad simple for Depp's vocab

so I can see it could've been a translation issue. I wonder what he did say?

[Turley]

42. My translation

of the two answers in question:

Stern: You've lived for four years in France. Is America no longer of interest to you?

Depp:I still have a house in LA and can imagine spending some time there with my family but not fo9r very long. Myhter is four,, my son one year old. I want them to see America as a toy. You play with it a bit, look at it some, and then leave it.They will notice for themselves that the toy is broken.

Stern:The relationship between France and America is not the best?

Depp: America is like a dumb puppy. With big teeth. It can bite and injure you. An aggressive country. The American Gov't and media have insulted the French and said President Chirac is an animal. I was happy when I heard they changed French Fries to Freedom Fries. Grown men and women in powerful positions, people in our Gov't outted themselves as idiots. I thought, "finally you've showed the world what chumps you are". You only have to look at our President, unbelievable. For him Iraq was only about business. About contriol. About Money. He's the worst liar I've ever seen.

[zbdent]

43. How would Mad Dog or Rabid Dog translate

into German?

[olmy]

5. Well, well, well....Our heroic dilletante..Money trumps all

[haymaker]

10. Missed the point again.

Of course you would try to connect his latest statement to money. That is because money is how you and your ilk place value on anything. How much money someone has. How much money someone makes. Money is your god.

What a surprise.

[wtmusic]

33. Another headline reader

Read the fine print, i.e., anything past the headline.

[rooboy]

8. As soon as he heard what Britney had to say he backed off...

nobody wants to be out of step with what Britney thinks. :)

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

11. LOL... Good one.

[Cha]

13. LOL!

[zonmoy]

45. "As soon as he heard what Britney had to say he backed off..."

Which basicly means that he is too cowardly to stand up to the new fehrur in america.

[olmy]

12. Are we looking for grad student papers of what he really said?

My point is he is no Sarandon, or any number of other "stars" that say what needs to be said HERE. The fact he recanted all he said, or his publicist from Beverly Hills did, does not change the fact he is more concerned with not making Walt spin in his grave, than owning up to what he said.

After this, he is safe for the sequel, don't worry.

[Twillig]

15. 100 dollars says he *NEVER* does a sequel

in his career.

I'll see you in about 30 years.

[radwriter0555]

26. Pirates of the Caribbean is already slated to do a sequel actually...

with more mysteries ahoy!

[joshcryer]

29. Shut up! I've got some easy money here!

Shhh!

[joshcryer]

27. I'll take you up on that bet.

Are you serious? Are you? I'm a betting man when it comes to things like this.

[Voltaire99]

18. I quite agree with you

Depp is hardly the first to have faced the new McCarthyism, but his speedy recanting doesn't impress in the least. Sarandon, Robbins, Penn: these are people who have stood behind their words and actions, come what may. Although Depp is an actor whom I like, politically he isn't doing criticism of American Empire any favors by rescinding his criticisms the moment he utters them. Doing so simply hands ammunition to the right wing.

Besides, at last check, I wasn't aware that dumb puppies understood "context" anyway. This apology was made for (and probably ordered by) Eisner, who has an expensive Depp movie in theaters right now and doesn't want to face a boycott.

[wtmusic]

39. I quite fail to find a basis

for your interpretation his remarks were 'speedily recanted'.

[wtmusic]

31. Please provide a source for the 'fact'

he 'recanted all he said'.

[Bridget Burke]

35. He didn't "recant"!

He pointed out that his remarks were taken out of context but defended his right to criticize his country.

He answered the political questions out of the country because that is where they were asked. When he was promoting the movie here the interviewers generally kept it light & he played along.

POTC has grossed $275 million & is still going strong. It was #3 in the country last weekend & has just begun opening worldwide. "Disneyreich" is not about to let him get away just because some idiots can't read beyond a Yahoo headline.

[haymaker]

41. 0 for 60, you ain't never been right.

It's to the point where your posts make no goddamn since at all.

What the fuck are you talking about? There are other sites where they might understand your language, but here we speak English, logically. So take your ill-conceived, illogical, blatantly partisan babbling elsewhere.

[Sideways]

44. Olmy is speaking in tongues

Forked ones. 0 for 60 nice touch haymaker. Touche!

[dArKeR]

16. Telling the truth or your opinion = Anti American

OK, I can accept that.

[Bridget Burke]

19. Whoever writes the headlines has the power...

Previous story: "Depp likens US to Dumb Puppy" presented out-of-context quotations in a sensationalistic format. Here's the article:

www.stern.de/unterhaltung/film/index.html?id=512374&q=depp

It's not a long interview but appears to cover several subjects. The political statments were in response to questions. Could we have some assistance from linguistic scholars? My German is old & weak although I do find "Disneyreich" highly amusing.

In the latest news story, Johnny indicates his comments were taken out of context but defends his right to criticize his country. But the headline implies that he's recanting any criticism at all.

Don't people even read?

Oh, and he's not a "dilettante." He's a skilled professional actor whose built his career on quirky, interesting roles & a seeming lack of interest in "commercial success". However, he's managed to make pretty good living & is currently the star of the summer's biggest moneymaker. Don't think his career will suffer.

[wtmusic]

32. They have the power

over people who

1) don't actually read the story;

2) don't think critically;

which is probably most Americans.

[latebloomer]

20. anyway, it's not a dumb puppy

It's a huge frothing rabid out-of-control pit bull.

[demdave]

21. Would someone please translate the original German for me??

Thanks. I would rather not discuss this blindly.

[BiggJawn]

22. "Johnny? There's some guy named Karl Rove on the phone for you?"

Spineless wimp!

Hey, I'm an American too, I LOVE my country! I love it enough to speak up and say it's a "Dumb Puppy" (stupid dumb-ass nation of sofa spuds is more like it)when it's acting like a Dumb Puppy.

And I'm ashamed of George Bush, too. I don't give a rat's ass if y'all buy my records or not.

[demdave]

34. Could you post they translated version of the original article please?

Obviously you have it, or can read German.

[BiggJawn]

46. No, sorry, no article, just a gut-hunch

This has Rove's muddy fingerprints all over it. Classic Rove. Most recent other example is the car alarm dude in California ("it was never about me being Governor")What's his name? See? HIS 15 minutes is over...

Speaking of "Phone calls from Karl", I hear where David MacIntosh has dropped out of the Indiana Governor's race and thrown his support to Mitch Danniels, leaving only 2 ReTHUGS to challenge Mitch next May. Wonder what Karl threatened to do to HIM????

[Bridget Burke]

47. Please read message #36

Johnny did not "recant". He just explained what he said.

Reading only headlines & going by your "gut-hunch" isn't always the best method to achieve understanding.

[supernova]

48. BiggJawn, your obstinance

doesn't serve you well here.

Johnny explained his comments; he didn't recant them. BTW, he's said this stuff for years and nobody cared. Johnny has primarily been the perview of us alternative film buffs all these years.

He finally has a blockbuster movie on his hands and suddenly everything that comes out of his mouth is blown out of porportion. He's so shy I just hope this doesn't send him working overseas permanently.

[supernova]

24. Sounds more like a clarification

than an apology to me. That's very much in keeping with what he's said before.

And he was right to issue a statement before it became a huge media echo chamber.

I would really love a good translation of the Stern article. And no, Google, and babelfish won't cut it.

Seems to me whoever wrote the Yahoo article just wanted to stir the pot.

[joshcryer]

30. Indeed, that was my first inclination. He didn't 'disavow.'

What a bunch of bullshit.

[wtmusic]

28. Depp 'disavows' nothing; email Reuters

[e-mail]

It's a misleading and inaccurate headline and they should be called on it.

[supernova]

36. Full Statement from Johnny Depp

Here is the statement in full from his publicist:

"Regarding the inaccurate and out of context misquote that is virulently spreading in the news — I am going to settle this now. Taken in context, what I was saying was that, compared to Europe, America is a very young country and we are still growing as a nation. It is a shame that the metaphor I used was taken so radically out of context and slung about irresponsibly by the news media. There was no anti- American sentiment. In fact, it was just the opposite. I am an American. I love my country and have great hopes for it. It is for this reason that I speak candidly and sometimes critically about it. I have benefited greatly from the freedom that exists in my country and for this I am eternally grateful.

My deepest apologies to those who were offended, affected, or hurt by this insanely twisted deformation of my words and intent."

[joshcryer]

40. HOW CAN ANYONE CONSTRUE THIS AS 'DISAVOWING'?

PLEASE, ENLIGHTEN ME. PLEASE. THANK YOU.

Oh my god, what a bunch of crap.