Johnny Depp's bizarre bromance with MBS: Couple has a 'real connection' and Pirates of the Caribbean star 'believes Saudi Arabia is in the middle of a cultural revolution'

Johnny Depp has struck up a bizarre friendship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after the kingdom's ruling family invested millions in the actor's latest film.

MBS has spent billions under his Vision 2030 plan to turn Saudi Arabia, plagued by allegations of human rights abuses, into a cultural and economic powerhouse by investing in the arts, sports and forging personal ties with stars.

Depp, 60, first met MBS, 38, after filming Jeanne du Barry, in which Saudi Arabia invested millions, in the summer of 2022.

'They made a real connection. It's a shock to many people who know [Depp]but it's what happened to a friend of Depp told Vanity Fair.

Both men have faced a reckoning in recent years in public perception of their carefully crafted images.

Depp was found to have abused his ex-wife Amber Heard domestically when he lost a defamation case in Britain in 2020.

Johnny Depp has formed a bizarre friendship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (photo)

Two years later, a series of disturbing details, including allegations of sexual abuse, were made public after he successfully sued Heard for defamation two years later.

MBS, once a favorite among Western leaders who saw him as a great reformer, irrevocably damaged his image by approving the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Depp emphasizes that Saudi Arabia is undergoing a 'cultural revolution'.

“While I admit I was initially a bit naive about what was happening in the region, I have since experienced firsthand the cultural revolution taking place there,” Depp told Vanity Fair.

The country has “emerging young storytellers who radiate fresh ideas and artwork, a thriving film infrastructure and a renewed curiosity for innovation,” she explained.

Adding, “I had the opportunity to meet people from different parts of the region who were the most hospitable and shared with me their culture, their traditions and their stories.”

MBS has spent hundreds of billions on sports, tourism, the arts and other ventures such as real estate to free the country from its dependence on oil money and become a diversified economic powerhouse.

MBS's Vision 2030 plan has made the entertainment industry, including film production, a key focus as it increases the kingdom's tourism and cultural perception, but also encourages the country's 30 million residents to do their leisure spending domestically .

Depp met with Prince Badr (left), the kingdom's culture minister, in July 2022 while filming his French historical film

Depp told Vanity Fair that Saudi Arabia is undergoing a “cultural revolution.”

Depp was found to have abused his ex-wife Amber Heard domestically when he lost a defamation case in Britain in 2020

The Kingdom's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has invested millions in setting up the LIV Golf Tournament, attracting players such as Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia.

The PIF also provided most of the money for a Saudi takeover of Newcastle United football club in 2021, a controversial deal that became a hot potato for the British government.

“We are making up for lost time and ensuring that our country realizes its potential,” an adviser to the Saudi government told Vanity Fair.

Depp previously had contact with another Saudi prince, Abdulaziz bin Fahd, but a member of his entourage was convicted of raping a woman in 2012 at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, where the prince had rented out a block of rooms.

Prince Abdulaziz stopped appearing in public in 2017 after he was detained by MBS along with 300 of Saudi Arabia's richest men on suspicion of corruption.

The prince eventually resurfaced, smiling for a photo with MBS, but has kept a very low profile since.

The sudden disappearance reportedly made Depp wary of meeting any more Saudi royals for the first time.

However, talks were held and in July 2022 he met Prince Badr, the kingdom's Minister of Culture.

A few months later, he flew to Jeddah for the 2022 Red Sea Film Festival and during the trip he met the Crown Prince.

Depp visited again in early 2023 and was invited to MBS' royal camp in the mountains.

The actor also flew several times by helicopter to MBS's yacht, one of the largest in the world.

The two men are now good friends, according to Vanity Fair, and friends of Depp told the publication that he values ​​the friendship and wants nothing in return.

However, Depp's team is in talks with the Saudi government over a seven-figure deal that will allow him to attend events and shoot films in the country, the outlet reported.