KVUE, the ABC-affiliate in Austin, was forced to abandon plans to interview Johnny Depp this weekend due to a contractual clause between the Hollywood star and Disney, ABC’s parent company.
“We came here expecting to talk with one of the biggest names in Hollywood,” KVUE reporter Shelton Green said (watch his report after the jump). “But apparently Disney doesn’t want Johnny Depp’s new movie, premiering here at the Paramount, to get more exposure than his newest ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movie. So they didn’t allow us to interview him, nor did they allow us to get video of him.”
“Pirates of the Caribbean” is a Disney movie; “The Rum Diary,” based on a novel by Hunter S. Thompson, was produced by GK Films.
According to the KVUE website, the clause prevents all ABC affiliates — not just KVUE — from speaking with, or shooting video of, Depp as part of “The Rum Diary” promotional tour. Here’s Green’s report: