Glastonbury viewers ‘uncomfortable’ over inclusion of Johnny Depp video in Paul McCartney set

The Beatles star also became the oldest headliner in Glastonbury history at 80 years-old.

Sir Paul McCartney took to the Pyramid Stage on Saturday evening as the oldest headliner ever at Glastonbury. While it was a moment for celebration, it also came with some controversy. 

When he performed his 2012 track ‘My Valentine’, which he dedicated to his wife Nancy who was in the crowd, McCartney played snippets from the song’s music video, which features both Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman.

Many fans, however, took issue with the musician’s choice to play a video of Depp on the jumbo screen during his set. In the black-and-white clip, Depp is seen playing guitar and reciting the song’s lyrics in sign language.

This is not the first time that McCartney has played the clip featuring the actor at his concerts. He has been using the footage during his recent US tour, while Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard was ongoing. McCartney and Depp are reportedly close friends as well as longtime collaborators. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor has also starred in several of McCartney’s music videos.

In response to McCartney’s Glastonbury set, one person wrote on Twitter: “Paul McCartney using a video of Johnny Depp in a song for his wife, Christ”.

“Depp singing to McCartney’s love song to his wife feels a bit off key,” another added.

Others, however, praised McCartney for his choice, with one writing: “Paul McCartney and Johnny Depp being best friends is so iconic to me.”

This news comes after Depp’s recent defamation case win against ex-wife Amber Heard in which a jury found that the actress had defamed Depp.

Despite Heard’s allegations of abuse throughout the six-week trial, which took place on camera, the jury found that a column she wrote for The Washington Post about domestic violence was defamatory and awarded $10.35m (£8.2m) in damages to Depp, even though the article did not name him.

Writer
Chris Saunders
Banner Image Credit
BBC