Johnny Depp Kept From Attending His Own Press Conference for the Tokyo Showing of ‘Mortdecai’ Because He Was Attacked by a ‘Chupacabra’

Johnny Depp was a no show at Tuesday's press conference in Tokyo to promote his latest movie Mortdecai which will be released in Japan on February 6, prompting organizers to cancel the event to the disappointment of the more than 200 reporters who've already been waiting at the venue for over an hour.

The following day, at a promotional photo call for the upcoming film, Depp apologized to the Japanese media. He told them: "I would love to apologize to you all for not being here yesterday. 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. They're very persistent, very mean. And I'm pretty sure it came into my suitcase. I threw him off the 23rd floor. So we'll never see him again."

The 'Chupacabra' is a legendary blood-sucking beast rumored to have been seen in some parts of the United States and South America. Depp ended his explanation with a sincere gesture to the crowd. He said, "Thank you, thank you for understanding. I appreciate it."

With Depp's tall-tale of an alibi, the mood lightened and everyone laughed. Depp was forgiven for being absent at his own press conference the previous day. When someone from the gallery asked what Charlie Mortdecai, his character in the film, would do had he attended the press conference, the 51-year-old star said: "I think he would probably try to show his mustache off. 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."

Depp who has a huge fan base in Japan said he hopes the film will be received well in the country.