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Helen Mirren says she wasn't sending a 'secret message' to support Amber Heard on the Cannes red carpet

Helen Mirren attends the "Jeanne du Barry" screening during the Cannes Film Festival.
Helen Mirren attends the "Jeanne du Barry" screening during the Cannes Film Festival. Christophe Simon/Getty Images

  • Helen Mirren walked the Cannes red carpet on Tuesday during Johnny Depp's film premiere. 
  • And some fans thought she was subtly supporting Amber Heard with her #WorthIt fan. 
  • But Mirren told Insider "no secret message was intended" with her outfit. 
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Helen Mirren is making waves at the Cannes Film Festival — and not just for her new blue hair. Some fans believed she was subtly showing support for Amber Heard. 

Mirren was walking 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 defamation trial against Heard last June. 

As she posed for photos, Mirren held a small black fan with the hashtag #WorthIt. Some Twitter fans and outlets thought the hashtag was in reference to the #AmbertIsWorthIt hashtag that was created to show support for Heard following her and Depp's trial. 

But in a statement sent to Insider, Mirren said "no secret message was intended" with her outfit. 

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Helen Mirren at 2023 Cannes Film Festival
Helen Mirren arrives for the opening ceremony and the screening of the film "Jeanne du Barry" during the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes on May 16, 2023. Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

"I am a L'Oréal ambassador," she told Insider. "They are a sponsor of the festival, and quite truthfully, I picked up a fan because I was hot. 'Because You're Worth It' is the official L'Oréal Paris slogan."

Both Mirren and L'Oreal Paris have used the #WorthIt hashtag to promote the brand. 

Heard has also featured in L'Oreal's past campaigns. Both she and Mirren walked in the brand's Paris Fashion Week show in October 2021. 

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

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

Plenel told Variety he believes Maïwenn was upset because Mediapart had published an investigation into rape allegations against her ex-husband Luc Besson, calling her "outspokenly 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. 

Johnny Depp and Maïwenn  2023 Cannes
Johnny Depp and Maïwenn attend the "Jeanne du Barry" Screening & opening ceremony red carpet at the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 16, 2023 in Cannes. Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

"If you thought that it's a festival for rapists, you wouldn't be here listening to me, you would not be complaining that you can't get tickets to get into screenings," he said, according to a report by Variety

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"I don't know about the image of Johnny Depp in the US," he added. "To tell you the truth, in my life, I only have one rule, it's the freedom of thinking, and the freedom of speech and acting within a legal framework." 

Brie Larson, who is part of this year's festival jury, also made headlines on Tuesday when she was asked by a journalist if she would see Depp's movie

When Larson said she was confused about why she was being asked to comment on Depp, the reporter referenced her involvement with Time's Up, an advocacy group started during the #MeToo movement. 

"You'll see, I guess, if I will see it," Larson said. "And I don't know how I'll feel about it if I do."

Amber Heard Johnny Depp Style
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