Paul McCartney had every good intention when it came to directing actors Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp through the entirely sign-language video for his single, "My Valentine." Unfortunately, their translations were flawed at times and both Portman and Depp had major slip-ups with their gestures.
As deaf music fans have pointed out, Depp makes the motion for the word "enemy" while attempting "valentine" -- a pretty big misstep considering the title of the song. "My Enemy," anyone? As for Portman's performance in the black-and-white clip, instead of the word "appear," she actually signs the word "tampon." Depp makes the same error. Pretty embarrassing, yes.
A spokesperson for The British Deaf Association addressed the "My Valentine" video, saying, "The sign for tampon does seem to come up from both Johnny and Natalie, which causes some confusion, especially as American and British sign languages are different."
The representative continued, "It would have been nice if genuine deaf people had been used. But it's still great." The organization gives the video and its stars an "A" for effort, branding the flawed translation as "more a poetic expression." "It's great that famous people such as Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman are highlighting the use of sign language," the rep said.
See the "poetic expression" below.
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