Rihanna gets flak for casting Johnny Depp in Savage x Fenty show

LOS ANGELES – Singer and fashion and beauty mogul Rihanna is facing a backlash online following news that she had cast actor Johnny Depp in the upcoming fashion show for her lingerie line,

Savage x Fenty.

The news had been confirmed by entertainment outlet IndieWire on Thursday, which said Depp’s role in the show would be similar to model Cindy Crawford’s appearance in last year’s edition, where she opened the show as a “featured star”.

Depp, 59, will reportedly be the first male featured star to model the brand’s men’s collection.

Netizens quickly reacted with dismay to the news.

“Rihanna having Depp on the Savage x Fenty fashion show is patriarchy at its finest” wrote one Twitter user, while another observed that “putting Johnny Depp on your show adds zero value. Maybe shock value or a slight viral moment”.

British singer Olly Alexander responded with a frowning face emoticon. When a fan commented that Alexander – who is the lead singer of Years & Years – was a good fit with the Savage x Fenty brand, he said: “Thank you, but after this news, I won’t be wearing it any more.”

The Savage x Fenty show is an annual affair, with

this year’s edition – the fourth

– landing on Prime Video on Wednesday.

Other models and actors slated to appear include Cara Delevigne and Simu Liu, star of Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021).

Depp’s appearance in the show will be the latest development in his Hollywood comeback, ever since the June outcome of his defamation suit against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard.

A seven-person jury in Fairfax, Virginia,

awarded Depp US$15 million (S$20 million) in damages from Heard

, which the trial’s judge reduced to US$10.35 million to comply with state limits on punitive damage.

Meanwhile, the jurors ordered Depp to pay Heard US$2 million in damages.

In the months that followed, it was confirmed that the Pirates Of The Caribbean (2003 to 2017) star would be

appearing as France’s King Louis XV

in the French period flick La Favorite. He also made a pre-filmed cameo appearance at MTV’s Video Music Awards in August.