Even though Johnny Depp’s latest film Mortdecai underwhelmed at the box office and earned a mere $4.1 million in North America last weekend, the Golden Globe Best Actor-winner is still managing to keep critics laughing. The day after an onset of illness forced him to miss a press conference in Tokyo, Depp entertained the disappointed journalists by claiming that his absence was the result of an unexpected incident: a surprise attack from a rare and deadly chupacabra.

Over 200 journalists waited for an hour at Depp’s Mortdecai press conference on Tuesday, only to be told that the event was canceled because the 51-year-old star was feeling unwell. However, Depp was all smiles when he blamed his absence on a mythical Latin American beast to journalists on Wednesday.

“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,” joked Depp. “And I’m pretty sure it came into my suitcase. I threw him off the 23rd floor. So we’ll never see him again. Thank you for understanding.”

The remarkable story drew laughs from the crowd of reporters, who then asked him to explain the chupacabra incident while imitating his mustachioed character, Mortdecai.

“He would probably say something like `How do you do?’. My name is Charlie Mortdecai and I’ve come here to take as much money from you as I possibly can. and jewelry, and art, and stuff.'”

Depp’s continued sense of humor is proof of his ability to stay positive in the midst of one of his worst box office performances ever, but the Associated Press reports that it may also be because he hopes Mortdecai will be well-received in Japan, where he has a very large fanbase. The film comes out in Japan on Feb. 6.