Johnny Depp left almost 200 journalists waiting for over an hour in a press conference on Tuesday that eventually had to be cancelled. The 51-year-old was scheduled to meet with journalists in Tokyo to promote his latest movie "Mortdecai" but he never showed up.
On Wednesday, he told reporters that he was sick but that wasn't the real reason he missed the conference. Depp revealed that he spent hours fighting a chupacabra, USA Today reports.
"I was attacked yesterday morning by a very rarely seen or experienced animal called a 'chupacabra.' I fought with it for hours. They're very persistent, very mean," Depp said as the crowd laughed. "And I'm pretty sure it came into my suitcase. I threw him off the 23rd floor so we'll never see him again. Thank you for understanding."
Depp was clearly joking even though some people do believe the chupacabra is real. According to myths, the strange-looking creature is said to drink the blood of livestock, especially goats, and lives in Central and South America.
There have been "sightings" of the mythical creature in Puerto Rico, Chile, Texas and Mississippi. One reporter asked Depp what his character, Charlie Mortdecai, would do if he ever came across a chupacabra.
"He would probably say something like 'How do you do?'. My name is Charlie Mortdecai and I've come here to take as much money from you as I possibly can. And jewelry, and art, and stuff," Depp responded.
"Mortdecai" is set for a Feb. 6 release in Japan. The movie hit theaters in the U.S. on Jan. 23 but flopped in the box office, making an estimated $4.1 million in North America last weekend.
