With Amber Heard behind him – and even having retreated to Spain for some time – Johnny Depp is looking to move on. As such, after that much-publicized and -mocked trial between the two, Depp has been pushing through with his career. While his projects may not exactly harken back to the days of Captain Jack Sparrow, he has committed to doing things his own way, something that isn’t exactly out of the ordinary for him. But as he gears up for press for Modì, he couldn’t help but take a dig at the circus that surrounded his scandalous trial.

Appearing at the San Sebastian Film Festival – where Modì (officially titled Modì – Three Days of the Wing of Madness is premiering – Johnny Depp worked in a reference to his issues with ex-wife Amber Heard, saying, “Each [character] has their story because I’m sure we can say that I’ve been through number of things here and there…Maybe yours didn’t turn into a soap opera. I mean, literally, televised.” The trial between Depp and Heard wasn’t only televised, but chronicled in a multi-part Netflix documentary and a ridiculous Tubi movie.

Johnny Depp continued his statement, also reminiscing about his days trying to make it in the business. “But we all go through what we go through. So to see these people on the verge of earning their stripes…There’s something beautiful to me about those days living in a tiny studio apartment just off Hollywood Boulevard in a dangerous neighborhood. They were tough. They were rough, ugly; they were weird, all kinds of stuff, but they were beautiful.”

Modì marks the first time Johnny Depp has directed a feature since 1997’s The Brave. Unlike that film, however, Depp doesn’t appear in Modì, with Riccardo Scamarcio playing titular Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani. The cast also features Al Pacino, Stephen Graham, Antonia Desplat, Batrice Hastings, and Bruno Gouery. The film will be released on December 5th following a showing at the Rome Film Festival.

Johnny Depp most recently played Louis XV for director Maïwenn in Jeanne du Barry, with his continued industry support facing backlash from fans of Amber Heard.

Do you think Johnny Depp will have a full rebound within the public eye? What do you hope he explores next?