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'This is bait': Fans back Brie Larson over #MeToo question about Johnny Depp's movie at Cannes

Brie Larson, a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival, was asked if she would watch Johnny Depp's movie given that she was a #MeToo advocate

CANNES, FRANCE: Brie Larson expressed her frustration when confronted with an uncomfortable question about Johnny Depp's contentious return to the spotlight at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival. The 33-year-old Oscar winning actress is serving as a juror this year and is joined by esteemed colleagues, including Paul Dano, Julia Ducournau, Damian Szifron, Atiq Rahimi, Rungano Nyoni, Denis Menochet, Maryam Touzani. Ruben Ostlund, the director of 'Triangle of Sadness', is presiding over the jury.

As a member of the Cannes jury, the actress appeared visibly tense when queried about her intention to watch Depp's movie, 'Jeanne du Barry', considering her strong support for the #MeToo movement. 'Jeanne du Barry', directed by French actor-director Maiwenn Le Besco and starring Depp as Louis XV, marks the actor's return to the big screen following his highly publicized defamation trial involving his ex-wife, Amber Heard.

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'Why me specifically'?

"As a sort of outspoken and very vocal advocate for #TimesUp and #MeToo, I’m curious how you feel about Johnny Depp’s film opening the festival and do you plan to see it?" a reporter asked Larson. "You're asking me that?" the actress responded, adding, "I'm sorry, I don't understand the correlation of why me specifically." When asked if she planned on seeing the movie at all, Larson replied, "I'll see it when I see it. I don't know how I feel about it, frankly."

Brie Larson's reaction to Casey Affleck resurfaces

The 'Fast X' actress has been actively speaking out in support of the #MeToo movement, which empowers survivors of sexual assault to share their experiences and confront prominent figures in the entertainment industry, as well as in various other communities around the globe. Larson's subdued reaction while presenting Casey Affleck with the Best Actor Oscar at the 2017 Academy Awards caused a stir on social media.

Speculation arose that Larson, an advocate for sexual assault survivors, chose not to clap due to Affleck's past sexual harassment allegations during the filming of 'I'm Still Here'. Speaking to Vanity Fair, she confirmed that her reaction was intentional. "I think that whatever it was that I did onstage kind of spoke for itself," she said, adding, "I’ve said all that I need to say about that topic." 

'She answered so well'

While Larson has been openly outspoken in her support for the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, people found it important to recognize that the entire jury should not be exempt from addressing such inquiries. A user wrote on Twitter, "Lets drag this innocent woman Brie Larson into an argument that has nothing to do with her to sell article clicks. That's all that reporter did." Another said, "That is a loaded question. They know there are certain contingencies of the internet that don’t like her and this is bait." A third added, "Say what you want about Brie, but that was the right response to have given the circumstances," while a fourth said, "He literally only asked bc she’s a woman and he watched a gotcha moment, she answered so well."

'It was unprofessional and irrelevant'

A user even made a poll on Twitter, writing, "Do you think the questions Brie Larson was asked were appropriate?" with 79% people voting 'No'. "Bringing up #JohnnyDepp's case during the film festival and asking @brielarson about it was unprofessional and irrelevant. The journalists should keep the focus on the films and the artists' work only," said one, while another added, "Not (to) mention its wildly sexiest to ask the woman on the panel when they are 2 men right there. Oh so men wont have reaction to Johnny Depp but I am sure a woman might."

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