Helen Mirren didn’t subtly support Amber Heard at Cannes

• Helen Mirren walked the Cannes red carpet on Tuesday for the premiere of Johnny Depp’s film.
• And some fans thought she was subtly supporting Amber Heard with her #WorthIt fandom.
• But Mirren told Insider “no secret messages were intended” with her outfit.

Helen Mirren is making waves at the Cannes Film Festival – and not just for her new blue hair. Some fans thought she was subtly showing support for Amber Heard.

Mirren walked the red carpet at the premiere of ‘Jeanne du Barry,’ which stars Johnny Depp. The film is Depp’s first major Hollywood film in years, and his first since his highly publicized libel lawsuit against Heard last June.

As she posed for photos, Mirren held up a small black fan with the hashtag #WorthIt. Some Twitter followers and outlets believed the hashtag was referring to the #AmbertIsWorthIt hashtag which was created to show support for Heard after his and Depp’s trial.

But in a statement sent to Insider, Mirren said “no secret messages were intended” with her outfit.

“I’m a L’Oréal ambassador,” she told Insider. “They’re sponsoring the festival, and to be honest, I picked a fan because I was sexy. ‘Because you’re worth it’ is the official slogan of L’Oréal Paris.”

Mirren and L’Oréal Paris used the hashtag #WorthIt to promote the brand.

Heard has also featured in past L’Oreal campaigns. She and Mirren took part in the brand’s Paris Fashion Week show in October 2021.

Depp and his film have already launched a wave of controversy at Cannes.

Maïwenn, the French director behind ‘Jeanne du Barry’, admitted earlier this month that she spat in the face of journalist Edwy Plenel, editor-in-chief of French online newspaper Mediapart.

Plenel told Variety that he thought Maïwenn was upset because Mediapart published an investigation into rape allegations against her ex-husband Luc Besson, calling it “firmly anti-#MeToo.”

Thierry Fremaux, the director of the Cannes Film Festival, defended his decision to include Depp and Maïwenn during a press conference on Monday.

“If you thought this was a festival for rapists, you wouldn’t be here to listen to me, you wouldn’t be complaining about not being able to get tickets to attend the screenings,” he said, according to a Variety report.

“I don’t know the image of Johnny Depp in the United States,” he added. “To tell you the truth, in my life, I have only one rule, it is freedom of thought, and freedom of speech and action within a legal framework.”

Brie Larson, who is on the jury for this year’s festival, also made headlines on Tuesday when a reporter asked if she would see Depp’s film.

When Larson said she didn’t know why she was being asked to comment on Depp, the reporter referenced her involvement with Time’s Up, an advocacy group created during the #MeToo movement.

“You’ll see, I guess, if I see it,” Larson said. “And I don’t know how I’ll feel if I do.”