Actor Johnny Depp joked about assassinating President Donald Trump on Thursday during an appearance at a film festival in England.
Depp appeared at a drive-in cinema called Cineramageddon in Somerset to introduce his 2004 film The Libertine before he began discussing American politics with the crowd, the Guardian reports.
Asked about Trump, he said he "needs help and there are a lot of wonderful, dark, dark places he could go."
Depp, apparently knowing what he would say would generate controversy, prefaced his next comments by saying it would be "in the press."
"It is just a question, I'm not insinuating anything. By the way, this is going to be in the press. It will be horrible. I like that you are all a part of it. When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?" he asked in reference to actor John Wilkes Booth's killing of Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
The crowd cheered the remarks.
"I want to clarify, I'm not an actor. I lie for a living. However, it's been a while and maybe it's time," he said.
Johnny Depp appears to threaten an assassination attempt on Donald Trump at Glastonbury. https://t.co/BADKCsLY1o pic.twitter.com/T2vwPBoXSj
— BBC News Entertainment (@BBCNewsEnts) June 23, 2017
Depp later apologized for his remarks, telling People that he "intended no malice."
"I apologize for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump," he said in a statement. "It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone."
Depp, a longtime Hollywood star, is best known for his work in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as pirate Jack Sparrow. He has been nominated for three Oscars and has been one of the film industry's highest-grossing actors since his career began in the 1980s.
UPDATED Friday, June 23, 3:57 P.M.: This post was updated to include Johnny Depp's apology.