Will Smith and Johnny Depp share a friendly embrace while attending the star-studded Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia
Will Smith shared a friendly hug with fellow Hollywood star Johnny Depp as the pair attended the star-studded Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air alum, 55 — who admitted he “made a lot of mistakes” after the infamous Oscars blowout — uploaded an Instagram video on Saturday that captured his embrace with Depp, 60.
The reel included a montage of special moments from his time at the festival, and at one point Smith crossed paths with the Edward Scissorhands actor.
The two smiled brightly before stepping forward to share a quick warm hug during the screening for HWJN earlier this week on Thursday at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Afterwards, Will and Johnny had a lighthearted conversation during the opening night of the film festival, which ends on December 9.
Will Smith, 55, shared a friendly hug with fellow Hollywood star, Johnny Depp, 60, as the pair attended the star-studded Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The two smiled brightly before stepping forward to share a quick warm hug at the screening for HWJN earlier this week on Thursday
The clip also showed the Men In Black star enjoying a round of golf and exploring Jeddah's Old Town.
He also included a clip of himself drinking “a lot” of coffee and taking time to pause for selfies with excited fans at the glitzy event.
In the caption of Smith's recent post, he wrote, “Wow! Thank you Red Sea Film Festival! You have created real magic: an oasis of art and creativity! What's next? I participate.'
Social media users jumped to the comments section to share their excitement about seeing the two actors together.
One wrote: “Ooooh…Will Smith and Johnny Depp…I would definitely watch a movie with both of them,” followed by a heart-eyed emoji.
Another typed, “Johnny Depp & Will Smith = EPIC,” while a fan added, “Please do a movie with Johnny Depp.”
Their meeting comes after Depp's trial with ex-wife Amber Heard last year in 2022, and after Jada Pinkett Smith recently revealed that both she and Will had been living apart since 2016.
Johnny and Will celebrated the opening night of the Red Sea Film Festival by appearing at the screening of the fantasy epic HWJN, directed by Yasir Al-Yasiri.
The reel featured a montage of special moments from the festival so far, and near the end, Smith crossed paths with the Edward Scissorhands actor.
Will and Johnny then had a quick chat while catching up on the opening night of the film festival – which is expected to end on December 9.
The premise is: “A curious Jinn falls for a human girl while unraveling the truth about his royal lineage,” he says. IMDBand is based on the novel written by Ibraheem Abbas.
Later on Friday, Johnny was spotted on the red carpet again to attend the screening of his period piece Jeanne du Barry.
The Pirates Of The Caribbean star was smartly dressed in a classic black suit which he paired with a white shirt that was partially unbuttoned at the collar.
At the festival, the Oscar-nominated actor joined Maïwenn, who not only played King Louis XV's mistress in the film, but also wrote, produced and directed the project.
During a panel discussion during the screening, Depp – who played King Louis XV – spoke about Maïwenn's ability to be both behind and in front of the camera.
'They're such contradictory things. “It was amazing that Maïwenn had the ability to extract himself from the dream that was on the monitor,” he said, per Deadline. 'That is a gift if you can distance yourself from the actor, if you are in control.'
“In a weird way, the actor would almost have to try hard to clear his head, so that you don't know what's going on around you, but you're in the scene.”
“But a director has to be aware of everything that's going on, everything that's going on,” he continued.
In the caption of Smith's recent post, he wrote, “Wow! Thank you Red Sea Film Festival! You have created real magic: an oasis of art and creativity! What's next? I participate'; seen in Saudi Arabia on Thursday
Later on Friday, Johnny was spotted on the red carpet again to attend the screening of his period piece Jeanne du Barry.
Jeanne du Barry premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year in May and notably received a seven-minute standing ovation.
Smith was also spotted during a discussion on the In Conversation panel on Saturday and opened up about 'mistakes' he has made, as well as labeling 'fame' as a 'unique monster'.
He took part in an on-stage conversation with Lebanese TV presenter Raya Abirached in front of a crowd of adoring fans.
The actor seemed comfortable talking about his “many setbacks” over the past few years and how he has tried to learn from his mistakes to move forward.
“I've made a lot of mistakes,” Smith admitted to the lively audience at the film festival. “We love your mistakes,” one woman shouted in response.
He appeared to allude to his infamous Oscars slam of host Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022, and the public issues surrounding his marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith, who recently revealed they have been living apart since 2016.
The In Conversation session at the Vox Cinema complex in the city's Red Sea Mall kicked off with a career highlight, which he said drew much applause and cheers. The Hollywood Reporter.
He further revealed that he was able to overcome some of his issues with the help of famed musician and producer Quincy Jones, whom he called a trusted advisor and mentor.
“Quincy has always made himself available,” Smith said, before adding, “He wants me to win as a person. He is committed to me as a person, not just as an artist.”
During a panel discussion at the screening, Depp – who played King Louis XV – talked about Maïwenn's ability to be both behind and in front of the camera; Maïwenn and Depp seen above in Jeanne du Barry
Smith was also spotted during a discussion on the In Conversation panel on Saturday and opened up about 'mistakes' he has made, as well as labeling 'fame' as a 'unique monster'
Will later reflected on his career in Hollywood, admitting, “Fame is a unique monster and I had to be very careful,” and also elaborated on some of the lessons he learned along the way.
The star also teased the sequel to his 2007 film, I Am Legend, during the panel. “I have a call with Michael B. Jordan tomorrow. That's all I can tell you.'
Although his character, Robert Neville, died in the film, an alternate ending was included in the DVD that showed Neville alive.
“So we're going with the mythology of the DVD version that my character lived in,” the Oscar winner revealed.