Depp bitten by ‘dumb puppy’ quote

Johnny Depp said he intended no “anti-American sentiment” in comparing the nation to a dumb puppy and blamed news reports for misrepresenting his opinions.

Depp, star of the hit summer movie “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” apologized in a statement to those “who were offended, affected or hurt by this insanely twisted deformation of my words and intent.”

Stern, the German magazine that interviewed the actor, stood by its story.

Depp was quoted as saying that “America is dumb, is something like a dumb puppy that has big teeth -- that can bite and hurt you, aggressive.”

In a prepared statement, the 40-year-old actor said, “Taken in context, what I was saying was that, compared to Europe, America is a very young country and we are still growing as a nation.

“There was no anti-American sentiment. In fact, it was just the opposite,” he added. “I am an American. I love my country and have great hopes for it. It is for this reason that I speak candidly and sometimes critically about it. I have benefited greatly from the freedom that exists in my country and for this I am eternally grateful.”

Stern magazine news editor Hans-Peter Junker said Friday that Depp’s quotes were “not taken out of context.”