Posting an eight-minute video from what appeared to be a cave, the actor said he never ‘felt any particular reason’ to join social media, but that ‘now is the time to open up a dialogue.’
Johnny Depp is officially on Instagram.
The actor jumped into the Insta fray late Thursday (April 16) and racked up 1.9 million followers within just a few hours.
Depp began by posting a photo of himself in what appeared to be a candlelit cave. “Hello everyone… filming something for you now… gimme a minute,” he captioned the pic.
Several hours later he was back with an eight-minute video, which he began by stating: “I don’t think I’ve really ever felt any particular reason to (join social media) until now.” But now is “the time to open up a dialogue,” he added, “as the threat of this invisible enemy has already caused immeasurable tragedies and damage to people’s lives.”
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor urged his legions of new followers to “care for one another” during the ongoing pandemic and to keep active and inspired. “We cannot and must not succumb to shutting down and giving in to what feels like hellish quarantine monotony,” Depp said.
He added: “Create something today that will benefit yourselves and others tomorrow. Do anything you think could be of use to brighten someone’s day. Draw, read, paint, think, learn, make a film on your phone, play an instrument if you play; if you don’t, learn.”
He also plugged his new release with Jeff Beck, a cover of John Lennon’s “Isolation” that dropped on April 16, describing it as “especially fitting” for the coronavirus moment.
“The song’s about isolation, fear, and the existential risk to our world, so we wanted to give the song to you,” he explained. “We truly both hope in our own little way, it helps you get through these unusual times that we’re experiencing, even if it just helps to pass the time as we endure isolation together.”
Find Depp’s posts and the Lennon cover below.
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.
