Johnny Depp Gets Into a Fight...With a Chupacabra?

Actor blamed his press conference absence on the mystical creature

By Francesca Bacardi Jan 28, 2015 7:39 PMTags
Johnny DeppJun Sato/WireImage

Exhaustion, sickness, etc. are all excuses that celebs have named as reasons to miss events, but Johnny Depp might have taken the prize for coming up with the most creative reason to miss a press conference for his new movie, Mortdecai, in Tokyo Tuesday.

The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory star was "attacked" by a "chupacabra" Monday morning and so was unable to attend the event. Although he admitted to being sick, he listed the real reason for his absence as the vicious attack.

"I would love to apologize to you all for not being here yesterday," the 51-year-old said Wednesday. "I was at the tail end of a cold or a flu or something. But that's not the reason I wasn't here.

"I was attacked yesterday morning by a very rarely seen or experienced animal called 'Chupacabra.' I fought with it for hours," he added.

The legendary, mythical animal, which means "goat sucker" in Spanish, is rumored to inhabit parts of the Americas but is rarely seen. The name comes from its alleged habit of attacking and drinking the blood of goats.

"They're very persistent, very mean. And I'm pretty sure it came into my suitcase," he claimed. "I threw him off the 23rd floor. So we'll never see him again."

Well, that sounds like it could have been a close one...with a mythical creature. He ended his explanation by giving a resounding thanks to the crowd.

"Thank you, thank you for understanding. I appreciate it."

When asked what his character, Charlie Mortdecai, would do had he attended the press conference, Depp said his titular role would continue to play his goofy self.

"I think he would probably try to show his mustache off," he imagined. "And 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.' That's it."