Depp Sticks Up for Moss at Career Tribute

LOS ANGELES – Johnny Depp was honored at AFI Fest 2005 with a career tribute and the premiere of his new film, "The Libertine."

The 42-year-old actor recently criticized press treatment of ex-girlfriend Kate Moss and reports of the supermodel's alleged drug use.

"What I know about Kate Moss is that she's a good kid, you know. And she's somebody's mother," he told AP Television News at Friday night's premiere.

"But they (the press) took and dragged her through such a horrific time for something you can call a mistake. ... We're all human, we're all very flawed in our own way, and to capitalize on that and sell it as a product is pretty vicious, because her kid is going to grow up to that someday."

Earlier in the evening, Depp was honored for his body of film work, which includes Oscar-nominated roles in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and "Finding Neverland," as well as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Chocolat" and "Edward Scissorhands."

During the presentation, Depp made jokes — mostly self-effacing ones — and let the audience know that he wasn't entirely comfortable seeing his old roles on the screen.

He later told the AP, "What was bordering on torture was just having to watch those clips — not the clips themselves, but me — seeing me. I'm not very used to that, you know. I like walking away from a film with the experience. I love it. But I don't like having to watch what I went through."