The artist

Johnny Depp is certainly far from the conventional leading man: the iconically quirky on-screen roles, the rock musician persona (he was a guitarist before becoming an actor), the unexpected neoexpressionist portraits in 2022 (these paintings of cultural heroes ranging from AI Pacino to Elizabeth Taylor sold out in a day), and of course the title of being Dior's long-standing poster boy for its wilderness-inspired flagship men's perfume Sauvage for nine years and counting.

-  LOH NOELLE

It's unsurprising then that he continues as the face of Sauvage Eau Forte - reportedly the first high-concentration men's scent with a water-based, alcohol-free formula that was launched recently. Here, he tells us more about it and his own craft as an maverick.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF SAUVAGE EAU FORTE?

“My first impression was that it felt like a slice of Sauvage, but hitting other notes scent-wise. (The main notes in Sauvage Eau Fort are lavender that has been saturated in water, liquorice, almonds, and musk, creating a fresh and luminous masculine scent). The smell made me think of very early morning – as the sun is about to rise – with the smell of a forest nearby. I thought it was special, and when I went through its various ingredients with Francis, I was blown away. I could see them come out one by one through the layers he put together, creating an emotion.”

DESCRIBE SAUVAGE EAU FORTE IN THREE WORDS.

“Fresh – like a feeling of mist from a waterfall. There’s something warm about it, too, in its layers of ingredients. And it’s so precise. It smells like a good day.”

THE UNIVERSE OF SAUVAGE IS ABOUT OPEN SPACES. EAU FORTE, IN PARTICULAR, IS A NOD TO THE WATERFALL THAT INCARNATES THE POWER OF WATER. WHAT IS THE MOST EXCITING PART OF THIS NEW JOURNEY FOR SAUVAGE?