Johnny Depp is acting again in his new role as France’s King Louis XV in the upcoming historical drama, Jeanne Du Barry. Following his win in a court case in the US which he sued his ex-wife, Amber Heard, for defamation, Depp's role of the French king concludes his three-year hiatus from the industry.
The film will follow the escapades of Louis XV and his indulgent 18th-century court, specifically centring around the King’s mistress, Madame du Barry. But who exactly was the famous French beauty now capturing the attention of filmmaker Maïwenn Le Besco, who is both producing the project and playing the leading role?
Du Barry famously ruffled a few aristocratic feathers when she appeared on the king’s arm at the Palace of Versailles. Born Jeanne Bécu in 1974, Du Barry came from humble beginnings: an illegitimate daughter of an impoverished seamstress, as a young woman the teenager would ‘sell trinkets on the streets of Paris’ before embarking on a number of vocations.
Du Barry’s blonde ringlets and blue eyes came to the attention of Comte Guillaume du Barry. Giving her the appellation of Mademoiselle Lange, Guillaume helped establish Jeanne's career as a courtesan working in the upper echelons of Parisian society.
Quickly becoming a sensation among courtiers and royal ministries, Du Barry began to move in the same circles as King Louis. After becoming enamoured by her charm, the king hatched a plan to ensure his new lover would have a permanent place at court: Jeanne could not qualify as a maîtresses-en-titre unless she had a title. The king thus ordered that Jeanne marry a man of ‘strong lineage’ and in 1768 she wed Comte Guillaume. Du Barry was also presented with a false birth certificate, which made her younger by three years and erased her ‘common’ background.
But gossip soon began to circle in the French court, with many turning their back to the king's favourite. Marie Antoinette was among those who disliked Du Barry, refusing to speak to her at events and in passing. This became a major issue within royal circles as it was considered a deliberate snub to the king. Marie Antoinette was therefore encouraged to make a public demonstration of civility towards Du Barry and on 1 January 1772, she said to the mistress: ‘There are many people at Versailles today’, a simple address apparently ending the pair’s dispute.
The French mistress was installed in the 14-room suite immediately above the king’s private quarters, with three secret entrances available for him to visit. Despite him being 28 years her senior, De Barry maintained a close relationship with the king, who admired her good nature; there were a number of occasions when Du Barry begged the monarch to spare others facing (sometimes deadly) retributions for their actions. After being officially presented at court, a number of women of nobility were bribed into forming Du Barry's entourage.
Despite her unpopularity, Du Barry led a life of considerable luxury. At 9am every morning she was brought a cup of chocolate, after which she was dressed in a gown and laden with jewellery. Du Barry's bedroom was embellished with gold leaf and the red marble fireplace with palm tree motifs. Her bathroom, a Prussian blue, was supplied with hot and cold running water and featured twin tubs: one for soaping, the other for rinsing.
After the death of the king, Du Barry was banished by order of Louis’s grandson and successor, Louis XVI. In December 1793, aged 50, she was executed by guillotine on charges of treason during the French Revolution. Her final words are remembered as: ‘De grâce, monsieur le bourreau, encore un petit moment!’ - ‘One more moment, Mr. Executioner, I beg you!’
