The actor was digitally superimposed on MTV’s Moon Person and floated above the stage at the Prudential Center: “I needed the work,” he joked.

Johnny Depp made an appearance at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night as the famous “Moon Person,” with his face digitally superimposed inside the helmet of the floating figure during the show’s opening moments.

“And you know what? I needed the work,” said the 59-year-old actor, who appeared again following a commercial break.

A similar clip, pretaped before the live awards show (which was broadcast from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey), was posted to the actor’s Instagram page.

In the video, Depp says, “I just want you guys to know I’m available for birthdays, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, weddings, wakes … any old thing you need.”

Depp also added, when the pretaped bit shared on Instagram aired during the live broadcast, that he could also serve as a dentist.

It’s a surprise appearance from the actor, three months after the verdict in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.

The quips about his availability allude to his stalled acting career in the wake of his contentious divorce and legal proceedings with Heard.

The jury trial resulted in Depp being awarded $15 million (reduced to $10.35 million by a judge to adhere to Virginia law on punitive damage caps), while Heard was awarded $2 million on her counterclaim.

The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to MTV for comment.

In August, it was announced Depp would direct his first film in 25 years: the biopic Modigliani, co-produced by Al Pacino.

Depp is also playing King Louis XV in French director Maïwenn’s Jeanne du Barry, which began production in July and is Depp’s first role in a feature in three years.