Over the past few years, Johnny Depp has morphed from a quirky movie star into an increasingly eclectic and troubled Hollywood veteran. He’s been in serious financial trouble for years, and has been accused of domestic abuse (which he has denied). Ever since the latter charge, there’s also been an uproar every time he’s cast in a potential blockbuster—most recently the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
In a lengthy new report from Rolling Stone, Depp—between swigs of wine and puffs on multiple joints—opens up about his woes, the nasty legal imbroglio between him and his former business managers, Joel and Robert Mandel. While speaking about his finances, he also shed some light on his career as it currently stands—confirming that, among other things, he once kept a sound engineer on his payroll to feed him lines while shooting a film. This particular move is not as unusual as it sounds, at least for an actor at this stage of his career—but Depp, of course, found a way to Depp-ify the process. According to the actor, the sound engineer was hired not necessarily to feed him lines, but to pipe disturbing noises into his ear—a move Depp says helps him emote better on-screen.
“I’ve got bagpipes, a baby crying and bombs going off [over the earpiece],” he said. “It creates a truth. Some of my biggest heroes were in silent film. It had to be behind the eyes. And my feeling is, that if there’s no truth behind the eyes, doesn’t matter what the fucking words are.”
Despite his ongoing personal calamities, Depp has remained busy on the acting front. He’s got a full dance card in the coming months, including the second Fantastic Beasts film and the Tupac-Notorious B.I.G. drama City of Lies. In his Rolling Stone interview, Depp also spoke about projects he wants to make down the line, including an adaptation of the French book Happier Days, which is about a fortysomething man who loses his wife and everything else, then decides to check into a senior-citizen home. He’s also apparently mused about doing a remake of James Cameron’s Titanic, shot entirely in a bathtub. This project, alas, seems unlikely to come to fruition.
“That would be great, but Hollywood never takes risks anymore,” Depp says in the story with a sigh.
At least Depp can always count on the never-ending Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which is still a global success; the most recent entry, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, made just $172 million domestically, but $622 million across foreign markets. In Rolling Stone, Depp’s co-star Penélope Cruz weighs in on his iconic role in the blockbuster series, saying she can imagine Depp “doing a version of Jack Sparrow at 70, at 80. It will be as charming and as great.” Certainly, she means well, but . . . yeesh, that is a lot of Pirates films.
Elsewhere in the interview, director Tim Burton chimes in to reflect on Depp’s starring role as Willy Wonka in the 2005 remake Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The actor played a creepy, porcelain version of the character, bereft of the charm that Gene Wilder embedded in the character; apparently, according to Burton, Depp tried to make his Wonka one part Anna Wintour and one part Michael Jackson. Do with that what you will. Do with all of this what you will.
