Johnny Depp is given gold medal of merit by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic

Johnny Depp was awarded with a Gold Medal of Merit by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a ceremony honoring Serbian Statehood Day in Belgrade, Serbia on Tuesday.

The 58-year-old actor was presented with the honors for his ‘outstanding merits in public and cultural activities, especially in the field of film art and the promotion of the Republic of Serbia in the world,’ Vucic said, according to the outlet Balkan Insight. 

Depp responded, ‘I truly, sincerely thank you, President Vucic, and this medal of merit, if I am given the honor to walk away with this, I thank you for being kind enough to bestow it upon me.’

He said that was was ‘right now on the verge of a new life’ in moving through tumultuous times, and hoping the event was the launch of good things to come.

‘I like a re-beginning, and I would love for that beginning to start here,’ he said.

The Kentucky-born actor – who has been involved with a number of projects out of the country as of late, including the 2020 film Minimata and the animated show Puffins – said receiving the medal marked ‘an extremely proud moment’ in his life.

The actor, who’s also known for playing Edward Scissorhands as well as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, said last fall at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain that he’s been the victim of ‘cancel culture, or this instant rush to judgment’ in the entertainment industry since he was accused of domestic violence by ex-wife Amber Heard in 2016.

The actor was presented with the honors for his ‘outstanding merits in public and cultural activities, especially in the field of film art and the promotion of the Republic of Serbia in the world,’ Vucic said

Depp said, ‘I truly, sincerely thank you, President Vucic, and this medal of merit, if I am given the honor to walk away with this, I thank you for being kind enough to bestow it upon me’

Last year, Depp lost a libel suit against The Sun over being labeled as a ‘wife-beater’ when the judge in the case said that the outlet’s claims had been ‘substantially true.’

Vucic, who was elected president in 2017, has also faced his own controversies, amid allegations of corruption, suppression of the press and a drift toward authoritarian rule.

The event attracted hundreds of people protesting lithium mining, leading local authorities to block off nearby roads.

Serbian Statehood Day is in honor of the initial uprising in the early 1800s that sparked the Serbian Revolution against Ottoman rule.

Vucic, who was elected president in 2017, has also faced his own controversies, amid allegations of corruption, suppression of the press and a drift toward authoritarian rule 

The Kentucky-born actor has been involved with a number of projects out of the country as of late, including the 2020 film Minimata and the animated show Puffins

Depp said receiving the medal marked ‘an extremely proud moment’ in his life

Depp donned a black three-piece suit with a grey tie at the event in honor of Serbian Statehood Day

The actor wore his dark brown locks down and parted as he displayed the medal he received