What Was Johnny Depp Thinking?

Actor Johnny Depp has drawn sharp criticism for recent remarks that suggested he - or someone else - might attempt to assassinate United States President Donald Trump.

"Threatening to assassinate a sitting president is a crime. Depp should be arrested, charged ASAP!" tweeted user @ThePatriot143.

@JackPosobiec was surprised that the media hadn't said more regarding Depp's remarks.

"Media silence today on Johnny Depp's Trump assassination threat is deafening," he tweeted.

Depp's curiosity about how long it had been since an actor had assassinated a president came during his appearance at Glastonbury Festival, where he screened his 2004 film, The Libertine. In introducing the film, Depp said it played for "one day" in the United States on its initial release.

In the world of those who may have uttered threats against Trump or the White House, Depp certainly is not a Hollywood celebrity standing alone. Madonna drew criticism earlier this year when she said "Yes, I am outraged. Yes, I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House... but I choose love," during January's March on Washington.

Comedian Kathy Griffin, known for her off-color humor and biting commentary, drew fire within the last few months after posing with what appeared to be the bloodied head of the current president. The image led Trump to tweet that his young son Barron had been deeply traumatized by the images.

"What's happening to me has never happened in this great country," Griffin, who had been contacted by the Secret Service in the wake of the images being released, said in a statement after the image went viral. "A sitting president of the U.S. ... is personally trying to ruin my life forever."

Historically, the last entertainer to draw fire on a sitting United States president would have been actor John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

While some cheered Depp's question, the reaction of others ranged from disappointed to angry, given his comments came just four days after a congressman and four others were shot in Virginia.

Depp's question, however, seemed uncharacteristic. While Depp has garnered a reputation for being enigmatic throughout his two or more decades in the public eye, his "clarification" seems to have missed the mark.

"I want to clarify," he added, "I'm not an actor. I lie for a living [but] it's been a while. Maybe it's about time."

Depp wasn't ignorant to the fact that his words would certainly draw attention from the media, either. It would appear, though, that the actor didn't care much about how his words would be perceived.

"By the way, this is going to be in the press and it'll be horrible," he said. "It's just a question, I'm not insinuating anything."

Whether Depp was insinuating something or not, the actor would have known the attention his remarks would have garnered. Noting that there were still a lot of "dark places [Trump] could go," Depp also noted that the president needed help, and it would seem as though he did not mean help running the country.

Glastonbury Festival is one of the United Kingdom's premier greenfield music and performing arts festivals, and has the added bonus of being the largest worldwide. Depp's film The Libertine was shot in Wales, a three and a half hour trip from Glastonbury.

According to ABC News, the Secret Service is "aware" of Depp's remarks, though it is not yet known what action if any, the organization will pursue regarding them. While social media continues to be in an uproar regarding Depp's comments, with some users remarking that they would no longer see any of Depp's films, there are those who continue to remark that they are either surprised no one has said something sooner or that they are surprised by the relative media silence regarding his words.