Johnny Depp Bags Record-Breaking $20 Million Deal With Dior Sauvage Fragrance
Johnny Depp is on a career roll with his live-action comeback film Jeanne Du Barry all set to open at the Cannes Film Festival on May 16. In the meantime, Variety reports that Depp has bagged the most lucrative men’s fragrance deal with luxury fashion brand, Dior. The $20 million plus three-year deal has outrun many Hollywood A-listers' financial deals in the fragrance market, including Robert Pattinson’s $12 million deal with Dior Homme, Brad Pitt’s $7 million deal with Chanel No. 5, and Chris Pine's $4 million per year deal with Armani.
The Fantastic Beasts actor has been associated with the high-end luxury fragrance brand since 2015 by being the face of Dior Sauvage. The ad campaign maintained the wild image of Depp, and the company even stood the test of time by retaining him as the face of Dior Sauvage, despite pressures to fire him for being a "wife beater," as stated by a U.K. court in the 2020 libel suit with ex-wife Amber Heard.
The cosmetic giant also stood like a rock with Depp when he faced his ex in court with defamation charges leveled against him. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor eventually emerged triumphant and Dior Sauvage sales skyrocketed. Bernard Arnault, CEO of Dior’s parent company LVMH, credited the “image of Johnny Depp” as one of the primary reasons for the cologne's "remarkable success.”
According to Meaww, in a 2021 ad campaign for Sauvage Elixir, Dior took to Instagram and described Depp as “Johnny Depp, uncompromising, profound, authentic. He embodies the dense magic of this new ultra-powerful Elixir. Never has he been so mesmerizing, so rock’n’roll. New SAUVAGE ELIXIR." It was noted that the luxury brand did stop airing ad campaigns that included Depp during the defamation case, however, they were resumed once he won the case. Dior also extended the contract in August 2022. Many Dior officials, including the brand's photographer, Greg Williams attended Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck’s rock concerts in Paris in August showcasing their undying support for the Alice in Wonderland actor.
The current $20 million deal coincides with Depp’s official comeback at this year's Cannes Film Festival, where he will attend the world premiere of Maïwenn’s historical drama Jeanne du Barry, in which he plays the role of King Louis XV. Depp is also expected to attend a Dior dinner on May 17 before he heads off to London the following day for a Jeff Beck tribute, where he is set to perform alongside Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart.
The lucrative Dior deal was negotiated by Depp’s reps at Range Media and this high-profile collaboration will certainly pave the way for Depp's return to major league Hollywood studios that were previously hesitant to work with him because of his defamation trial.
