Taking to his Instagram account, the Pirates of the Caribbean star posted a picture of himself and Robert on Sunday (March 10) to congratulate the actor on taking an Oscar home for his role in Oppenheimer.
As it turns out, the picture Johnny posted had, in reality, been digitally altered, sparking many fans to call out the Photoshop fail on social media.
The picture the 60-year-old actor posted was an edited version from 1988 of Robert with his then-girlfriend, Sarah Jessica Parker. Moreover, the original picture didn’t include Johnny at all.
Johnny Depp deleted a fake 1980s photo with Robert Downey Jr. amid Robert’s 2024 Oscar win
Image credits: johnnydepp
Image credits: ABC News
By the looks of it, the edited picture was created by a fan and had been circulating for a few years, according to Unilad.
The Edward Scissorhands actor went on to substitute the image with an authentic picture of him and Robert at the Golden Globes in 2011, captioning it: “Let’s try this again…congrats to my dear friend.”
Johnny was evidently congratulating Robert on winning his first-ever Oscar at the 96th Academy Awards, taking the title for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning movie.
Later, Johnny replaced the picture with a genuine image from 2011, congratulating Robert on his award
Image credits: johnnydepp
Image credits: Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images
In his acceptance speech, the Iron Man star said: “Here’s my little secret: I needed this job more than it needed me.
“Chris [Nolan] knew it, [producer Emma Thomas] made sure [that] she surrounded me with one of the greatest cast and crews of all time.”
Johnny has been keeping busy, filming the 2023 historical drama Jeanne du Barry and co-producing Modì in Budapest, Hungary, amid turning the page from his legal battle with his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
By the looks of it, the edited picture was created by a fan and had been circulating for a few years
Image credits: Ron Galella Collection/Getty Images
Amber filed for divorce in 2016 and obtained a restraining order against the actor, accusing him of domestic violence.
From 2018 to 2022, the former couple was entangled in a highly publicized defamation case, often pinning Amber as a liar by fans and the media.
Nevertheless, in 2022, more than 6,000 pages of court documents were unsealed after Johnny’s supporters crowdfunded fees required to get a hold of them.
“Let’s try this again…congrats to my dear friend,” Johnny later wrote alongside a new picture
Ironically, the documents provided a lot of compromising new information about the beloved Disney character, including the claim that Johnny’s legal team tried to submit “nude pictures” of Amber into evidence and attempted to bring up her “brief stint as an exotic dancer,” The Guardian reported.
Moreover, the unsealed documents also included text messages from Johnny’s then-assistant suggesting he had “kicked” Amber on a flight, as well as disturbing conversations exchanges with alleged rapist Marilyn Manson.
“Kate Middleton should’ve hired Johnny Depp,” a reader quipped
