Johnny Depp wears shirt from Tobique First Nation woman, endorsing name change for Saint John River

A woman from Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick recently met Johnny Depp and used the opportunity to the fullest.

Beth Tremblay and her family had the opportunity to meet the actor-musician backstage Monday night at a Jeff Beck concert in Toronto.

Beth Tremblay and her family met Johnny Depp backstage at a Jeff Beck concert in Toronto. (Source: Facebook/Beth Tremblay)

“I am a huge Johnny Depp fan,” says Tremblay. “He is just one in a million, he truly is.”

The meet-and-greet with Depp became even more meaningful when Tremblay presented him with a deeply personal gift.

She gave the star a shirt with “Saint John River” crossed out and "Wolastoq” written on top -- a moment that was captured on video.

“The shirt that I gave Johnny is the movement right now that us Wəlastəkwewiyik are trying to get the Wolastoq River back to her original namesake,” explains Tremblay. “The Wolastoq Grand Council has actively been trying to do this for over 10 years and it’s been a tireless journey and movement for our tribe.”

Tremblay says Depp was “very grateful” for the gift.

“Then we hugged, and then we took a lot of pictures and then hugged again and he was so taken back by the gesture.”

The next morning, an even bigger surprise came in a text from Depp’s tour manager -- a photo of Depp wearing the shirt.

Johnny Depp wears a shirt from a Tobique First Nation woman. (Source: Facebook/Beth Tremblay)

“I just lost it, I lost it. I was like, ‘He put it on and I’m getting a pic of it? Get out of here.’ So it meant everything to me, everything,” says Tremblay.

She hopes Depp’s wearing of the shirt will spark further attention for the movement.

“That’s what I hope, is that it really puts a fire under those decision-makers and we start seeing some change,” Tremblay says. “The most beautiful thing to me, it’s invigorated hope in our people.”

The shirts are available at the Sacred Arts clothing store in St. Mary's First Nation.

Tremblay also encourages people who want to support the movement to save the Wolastoqey language to donate to their GoFundMe page.