It’s not very often that big actors miss the premiere of their own movie, but when they do, they usually have a perfectly good excuse for it. This time, Johnny Depp failed to show up on time for the premiere of “Mortdecai” in Tokyo, and the reason behind it was being attacked by a chupacabra!

When he finally showed up for the press conference on Tuesday, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star apologized for being late and admitted to being sick, but still listed the “chupacabra assault” as the real reason for his absence.

Said Depp: “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.”

For all those who aren’t familiar with the chupacabra, the creature exists in myths and legends of both North and South America. It’s literal translation from Spanish means “goat sucker,” probably because it’s said to have a habit of attacking and drinking the blood of goats.

We have to hand it to Johnny – this is probably the most creative excuse we’ve heard in a long time.