EXCLUSIVE: Johnny Depp's Latest Movie a 'Cry for Help' as It Shows He's Still a 'Boozy, Lost, Hell-raiser'
Johnny Depp's new film was called a 'cry for help,' reflecting his struggles with alcohol and chaos.
Aug. 5 2025, Published 12:45 p.m. ET
Johnny Depp has described his new film Three Days on the Wing of Madness as a tribute to troubled artist Amedeo Modigliani.
But RadarOnline.com can reveal the 62-year-old star's portrayal of the boozy, self-destructive painter has his inner circle and loved ones fearing it is a "cry for help" over his ongoing turbulent life.
Johnny's Rocky Road
Johnny Depp directed 'Three Days on the Wing of Madness' as a tribute to Amedeo Modigliani.
"I wanted to show the raw, unfiltered truth of a man burning out before his time," Depp – who also has a sideline in selling his own paintings – said in a recent interview about his flick.
"It's about madness, passion, and the chaos that comes with being an artist."
The film follows Modigliani over a three-day binge in 1916 Paris, capturing his substance abuse, volatile behavior and fraught relationships.
Modigliani died of tubercular meningitis at just 35, unloved by the art establishment and plagued by personal demons.
Depp's choice to direct a film steeped in self-destruction has reignited discussion around his state of mind.
Once Hollywood's leading man, Depp's career was sent down the toilet by his public and acrimonious divorce from Amber Heard after she made allegations about his substance abuse and erratic behavior.
Johnny's Rough Split From Amber
He lost his 'Fantastic Beasts' role after his scandalous split from Amber Heard.
Depp, who was married to Heard from 2015 until their 2017 split, has long had a reputation for heavy drinking and a hell-raising lifestyle.
His role in the Fantastic Beasts franchise was cut short amid the fallout from his battle with Heard.
Critics also argue Three Days on the Wing of Madness seems less like a comeback and more like a plea for understanding – or possibly a cry for help.
The film, based on Dennis McIntyre's 1980 play, shows Modigliani as a hedonistic figure: smashing bistro windows, using baguettes as lewd props, and living on the edge of society.
Depp's direction leans heavily into clichés about bohemian depravity, with scenes of painters urinating in the streets and wealthy patrons turning their noses up.
Johnny Depp directed Riccardo Scamarcio in the role of Amedeo Modigliani.
Depp's handling of the supporting cast has also been criticized for its uneven tone and exaggerated accents, yet the film offers some respite in the performances of Stephen Graham as the art dealer Léopold Zborowski and Al Pacino as collector Maurice Gangnat.
Graham's understated portrayal offers a calm counterpoint, while Pacino delivers a memorable restaurant scene, chiding Modigliani with a mix of mockery and sympathy, telling him. "You are not a painter – you are a sculptor!"
The film ends poignantly with Modigliani, burned out and broken, staring at an untouched block of plaster, symbolizing both destruction and the possibility of renewal.
Whether Depp intended this as a metaphor for his own life remains unclear, but the parallel is hard to ignore.
'A Cry For Help'
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Depp's inner circle viewed the film as a possible cry for help.
A source said: "If Three Days on the Wing of Madness is Depp's bid to revive his career, it's overshadowed by excessive self-indulgence and turmoil."
The film reflects the actor's very public battles with addiction and personal turmoil, coming across less as a new beginning and more like a deeply personal revelation and cry for help.
"He's still drinking heavily and is now a virtual recluse at a mansion in England."
"This movie is undoubtedly a cry for help, telling the world he feels as tortured, tormented and ultimately doomed as Modigliani. He's still a boozy, lost, hell-raiser at heart."
