Wow!
He became teary-eyed. He's promoting his French film Jeanne du Barry in which he plays the king who had an affair with his controversial mistress.
https://pagesix.com/2023/05/16/johnny-depp-gets-7-minute-standing-ovation-at-cannes-amid-backlash/
On one hand, I hope Depp is innocent of DV, and that being the case, wish him well on a comeback.
On the other hand, the French are not always the best judges of character (and I apologise if that comes across as xenophobic). Their embrace of Roman Polanski comes to mind.
Different culture. Depp is respected as a great artist by the French. The director was impressed by his ability to express himself without speaking. They're not concerned with his private life like Americans are.
Also, the director may have wanted to help Depp because she believed the attacks were unfair. Last week, she went up to a journalist at a restaurant, grabbed his hair and spit directly in his face. She's #anti-MeToo while the journalist/publisher has supported the movement and reported stories including many women accusing her ex-husband.
https://variety.com/2023/film/news/journalist-maiwenn-spit-on-interview-johnny-depp-director-1235614162/