Johnny Depp waves to fans as he leaves his Spanish hotel

Johnny Depp appeared upbeat on Thursday as he emerged from his San Sebastián hotel after claiming his career has been harmed by the spread of cancel culture. 

The Hollywood star waved at fans while making his way towards a waiting car in the picturesque Spanish coastal city. 

Depp, 58, is in Spain for the 69th San Sebastián Film Festival, where he was the recipient of the Donostia Award on Wednesday evening. 

Depp had previously claimed he is a victim of cancel culture, warning that 'no one is safe' and urging those affected to 'stand up' for themselves. 

Speaking in San Sebastián, before accepting his honorary award at the film festival, Depp said the situation had become 'so out of hand.' 

In July 2020 he lost a high-profile case at the High Court in London, after The Sun newspaper described him as a 'wife beater' and he sued. 

His ex-wife Amber Heard filed for divorce in 2016, accusing him of verbal and physical abuse, and she testified in London.

Depp lost his lucrative role in the Fantastic Beasts franchise in the aftermath of the case. 

Back in the U.S., Depp has recently won the right to proceed with a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard.  

Depp told the audience in Spain that he saw himself as a victim, and was concerned about the wider implications for society.

Ahead of taking to the stage to accept his award, Depp offered his thoughts on cancel culture, and called on people to 'stand up' for those facing 'injustice.'

'It can be seen as an event in history that lasted for however long it lasted, this cancel culture, this instant rush to judgement based on what essentially amounts to polluted air,' he said, according to Deadline. 

'It's so far out of hand now that I can promise you that no one is safe. Not one of you. No one out that door. No one is safe.

'It takes one sentence and there's no more ground, the carpet has been pulled.'

Depp said that his concern was not just for himself.

'It's not just me that this has happened to, it's happened to a lot of people,' he said. 

'This type of thing has happened to women, men.'

He said: 'It doesn't matter if a judgement, per se, has taken some artistic license. 

'When there's an injustice, whether it's against you or someone you love, or someone you believe in – stand up, don't sit down. Cause they need you.' 

Depp was reported by Deadline to be happy to answer questions about the recent state of his career, amid his ongoing lawsuit against Heard.

But when a reporter asked about Spain's Association of Female Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media, which released a statement saying the award 'transmits a terrible message to the public', a festival organizer stepped in and prevented him replying, insisting he would only speak about his career.

Depp later said that he was 'worried' that his presence at the festival would 'offend people,' and insisted he 'didn't want to offend anyone.' 

He praised the event, its director Jose Luis Rebordinos, and the mayor of San Sebastian for their 'undying support'.

He thanked them for 'not buying what has been, for far too long, some notion of me that doesn't exist'.

Depp added: 'I haven't done anything, I just make movies.'

Depp said that he was dismayed by the current state of the film industry, in particular how streaming had taken off.