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Amin Sal'es: Johnny Depp fans stunned as doppelganger spotted at Muslim religious ceremony

The striking resemblance sparked a wave of theories online, with some speculating that the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star had fled to Iran to regroup after his legal dispute

TABRIZ, IRAN: In Middle Eastern social media circles, pictures of a Johnny Depp lookalike participating in a solemn Muslim religious ceremony in Iran have gone viral.

The Depp doppelganger was spotted at the Ashura Shia festival recently in Tabriz, Iran, sporting the actor's distinctive hair, goatee, and sunglasses. The man can be seen raising ceremonial sticks in a ritual in one clip.

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The striking resemblance sparked a wave of theories online, with some speculating that the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star had fled to Iran to regroup after his legal dispute with his ex-wife Amber Heard and left Hollywood.

Iranian model Amin Sal'es, who appears to model himself after the American actor on his modest Instagram page, was eventually identified as Depp's Tabrizi twin by local media outlets.

The model's following increased as a result of publicity from his attendance at the event. Currently, he has 10,000 followers on Instagram despite having only seven posts.

According to some publications, Sal'es' success with regional Iranian agencies was entirely attributable to his resemblance to the 'Edward Scissorhands' actor. One report pointed out that in addition to modeling, the model also gives advice to college applicants.

The real Depp, meanwhile, just signed a seven-figure deal to continue serving as the face of Sauvage by Christian Dior.

According to a source at TMZ, the deal recently came together and was finalized after executives from Dior and well-known fashion photographer Greg Williams showed their support for Depp by attending one of his and Jeff Beck's rock concerts in Paris, France.

According to a different source, Williams and Depp took some photographs before and after the Paris show, and the images will be used in a new Dior ad campaign.

On August 8, 2022, images and videos taken by Williams backstage at one of his rock concerts in Paris were posted on the official Dior Beauty Instagram account. the caption read, "Fearless yet human, just like Sauvage." Many admirers expressed their support for Depp and Dior in the comments section.

According to Business of Fashion, Sauvage has surpassed popular women's scents from Chanel and other top brands to become the world's best-selling fragrance since Depp first signed with Dior in 2017.

Nevertheless, the collaboration hasn't been without controversy. In 2019, a Sauvage advertisement starring Depp and including images from Native American culture sparked claims of cultural appropriation. When the actor lost his libel case against a British newspaper for calling him a "wife-beater", Dior still stood by him.

Depp's defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard has most recently dominated news coverage, with Dior maintaining its contractual obligations to the star throughout.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the strategy appeared to be successful as many fans purchased Sauvage on websites like Sephora and Ulta to show support during the legal proceedings.

According to TMZ, Dior even aired Depp's Sauvage advertisement on Fox during primetime after the 'Edward Scissorhands' actor won the trial in June.