Johnny Depp is most known these days as Captain Jack Sparrow or, in certain circles, as Raoul Duke/Hunter S. Thompson. He has an eerie way of embodying the characters he plays so well that we forget he’s just acting.
But while he’s proven himself to be an intriguing dramatic actor, he has a sense of humor that borders on the silly, which shines through in many of his characters. The films he’s most famous for, while all good in their own right, sometimes overshadow other, lesser-known roles that should be seen by any Depp-lover. So here are five of his films you may have forgotten, overlooked, or might want to give a second try.
1. “From Hell”
A film by the Hughes Brothers that also stars Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid, to you non-muggles), “From Hell” chronicles an investigator’s dark path on the search for Jack The Ripper and his struggle to stop “chasing the dragon” (getting blasted on Opium). A bloody, wonderfully interesting take on the Ripper story.
2. “Ed Wood”
The mostly-true account of now legendary B-movie director Ed Wood has Depp dressing in drag and trying to keep a struggling career afloat in an industry that looks upon him as a joke. A lovely, somewhat sad tale which stars Martin Landau as screen legend Bela Lugosi.
3. “Public Enemies”
Depp plays John Dillinger, with Marion Cotillard as his French love interest. Also, Batman is in it. That’s all I need to say, I think.
4. “Once Upon A Time In Mexico”
Antonio Banderas plays El Mariachi once again, with Salma Hayek as his lady-love and Depp as a mad CIA agent (mad as in Hatter). Seems like this performance may be a tad underrated.
5. “Dead Man”
A film by Jim Jarmusch is often pronounced “artsy” and “weird”, so this one got mostly overlooked by even the most avid Depp fans. Mostly because it’s artsy and weird. But so is Depp, really, and he pulls off this character beautifully. Give it a shot, you might dig it.
Amber Heard, the lovely blonde actress who co-starred with Johnny Depp in “The Rum Diary”, has been on the tongues of gossip columnists everywhere lately since it was first rumored that she has caught his single eye.
Depp, who recently publicly split from longtime wife Vanessa Paradis, is now on the market again and word on the street is that he’s set his gaze on Heard, although she was in a lengthy relationship with female photographer Tasya van Ree for years. Now, news of an extravagant gift from Depp is even more reason to set fans buzzing.
Apparently a source has confirmed to E! that Depp bought Heard a horse, and it looks like the reasoning was just because he could. Heard is a Texas native and has an affinity for the beasts, and Depp has been working on the film “The Lone Ranger”, in which he plays Tonto, so horses have been on his brain lately. But what everyone wants to know is, what else is on that lovely mind of his.
Obviously, there’s no official word on the two of them having any sort of relationship other than a working one, but when a young and beautiful actress befriends a sexy Hollywood veteran, rumors are bound to fly. Heard is currently working on the set of “Machete Kills”, the sequel to Robert Rodriguez’s action/comedy “Machete”. I’m sure she’ll be closely watched in coming weeks to see whether or not this friendship develops into something more.
Johnny Depp, his publicist has confirmed, has split from wife Vanessa Paradis, who is a French actress and model. The two have been together 14 years.
Depp has been denying rumors that he and Paradis were on the rocks lately, although the two of them haven’t been appearing together in public much lately.
“No matter what I say about this, people believe the opposite. I can’t say enough about it not being over,” he said recently.
Trying to keep your private life private when you’re a star as huge as Johnny Depp, however, is not the easiest thing to accomplish, and once the media sniffed around for a bit of trouble, word got out fairly quickly. The couple has two children, and their reps are asking everyone to respect them at this time.
“Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis have amicably separated. Please respect their privacy and, more importantly, the privacy of their children,” Depp’s publicist Robin Baum said.
Depp and Paradis have been together since 1998, when he broke things off with British supermodel Kate Moss following a high-profile relationship. Depp has famously said that he enjoyed living in France with Paradis because the media was more respectful of their privacy than in the U.S. The couple also had a home in L.A., however, as well as one on a Caribbean island.
Johnny Depp, actor, musician, and all-around famous individual, received the Generation Award at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards on Sunday. In addition to accepting the statuette for his contributions to the world of film and popular culture, Depp decided to flex his considerable musical muscles by performing “Gold on the Ceiling” with the Black Keys. All in all, I’d say it was a pretty snazzy night for the “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” star.
On-hand to present the Generation Award to Depp were Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and Stephen Tyler, which gave them a prime opportunity to sing the actor’s praises. “Johnny Depp is a rock star in the world of movies,” Tyler remarked. Perry, meanwhile, stated that Depp was a “a gusty actor, a gutsy musician, a gutsy artist with passion.”
The Black Keys’ lead singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach had nothing but kind thoughts and feelings to express about the actor. After the show, Auerbach told CNN that Depp was “legitimately great on guitar”. Anyone who was alive and/or into alternative music back in 1993 should already be aware of this fact. Depp, as you may recall, teamed up with Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes to form the band P way back in the day. Their first — and only — album was released in 1995, though a reissue was delivered in 2007. Look it up, kids. It might blow your mind.
Otherwise, the 2012 MTV Movie Awards unfolded as expected. Host Russell Brand made jokes about penises, Jennifer Anniston won “best on-screen dirt bag” for her performance in “Horrible Bosses”, and “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1” brought home the trophy for movie of the year. In other words, unless you’re knee-deep in the world of pop culture on a regular basis, chances are you’re going to be completely disconnected from these events.
Of course, the highlight of the evening was Depp’s Generation Award and his performance with the Black Keys. Honestly, I’m kind of sad that I missed the show. I suppose I’ll just have to live vicariously through all of these Twitter users. You can find a sampling of their reactions below.
Actor Johnny Depp is known for bringing a sense of whimsy to his characters, and he isn’t afraid to look a little silly while doing it. He’s channeled Keith Richards for Captain Jack Sparrow, Jonathan Frid for Barnabas Collins, and most recently, a warrior from a painting by Kirby Sattler for Tonto, friend of the Lone Ranger.
The film, which is a modernized version of the popular ’40s radio program–which was later turned into a television series–also stars Armie Hammer, perhaps best known as the Winklevoss twins in 2010’s The Social Network. Hammer plays the Lone Ranger, a masked cowboy who fights injustice in the West.
Depp says he wanted Tonto’s look to reflect the changes he’s brought to the character, mainly by trying to break the stereotypes that have plagued American Indians for years. He also tackles the opinion that Tonto was the Lone Ranger’s sidekick rather than an individual with his own ideas, which is the reason behind his look in the movie and was inspired by a painting.
“I looked at the face of this warrior and thought: That’s it,” Depp said. “The stripes down the face and across the eyes . . . it seemed to me like you could almost see the separate sections of the individual, if you know what I mean.”
The bird headdress was also inspired by the painting, or rather by Depp’s interpretation of it. He says in the film, it’s meant to act as a sort of spirit guide for Tonto.
While some in the American Indian community aren’t happy with the actor’s portrayal of such an icon in television history, Depp is sure that some will be won over by his performance, by the imagery in the film, and by the score, which will be done by Jack White of The White Stripes.
Jonathan Frid, who was best known for his portrayal of vampire Barnabas Collins on the hit ’60s television show “Dark Shadows”, died last week at the age of 87, but his legacy on film was captured in a brilliant cameo in the movie version, which will be released this May.
The t.v. series ran from 1966-1971 and became an under-the-radar success after the addition of the Collins character, which Johnny Depp inhabits in the film. Depp, who was a huge fan of the show, released a statement regarding the passing of Frid:
“Jonathan Frid was the reason I used to run home from school to watch ‘Dark Shadows,’” Depp said. “When I had the honor to finally meet him, as he so generously passed the torch of Barnabas to me, he was as elegant and magical as I had always imagined. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. The world has lost a true original.”
Depp counts Frid among his childhood idols and has even emulated some of Frid’s gestures and mannerisms while acting, which he is famous for doing; his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow for the hugely successful “Pirates Of The Caribbean” films is largely based on Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.
Johnny Depp has been a fan of Iggy Pop’s for years; in fact, Pop was an early idol for the actor/musician. Depp had the opportunity to play an opening set for the punk legend as a teenager, and when he finally met his idol it didn’t quite go down like he’d imagined it would. It began with Depp yelling obscenities at Iggy rather than do something lame like introduce himself, and Iggy didn’t take too kindly to it, calling Depp a “little turd”.
Of course, the two later became friends after working together on the John Waters film “Cry-Baby“; Pop played Depp’s grandfather, of all things.
Depp checks out live shows whenever he can, and last December he met up with his old friend at Pop’s show in L.A. That’s where the trouble started.
Robin Eckert, a 52-year old woman who was seated in the V.I.P. area with Depp, says his security team caused her bodily harm and humiliation and is suing for an unspecified amount.
Eckert says she was just trying to reach her seat when the actor’s bodyguards attacked her from behind, restrained her, and pinned her wrists behind her back. They also allegedly tore her cell phone–which she says contained confidential medical data about her patients–from her hands “one finger at a time“. She claims she suffered several injuries from the incident–which included the men dragging her from her chair, causing her pants to be yanked down and her backside to be exposed to other concert-goers–and that the injuries only added to existing painful fibromyalgia.
Eckert filed a police report after the concert, and TMZ reported that she appeared to be intoxicated at the time. Johnny Depp has yet to comment.
Last week the official poster and trailer was revealed for Tim Burton’s upcoming gothic comedy “Dark Shadows”. The new character posters feature Eva Green as Angelique Bouchard, Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, Gully McGrath as David Collins, Helena Bonham Carter as Dr. Julia Hoffman, Jonny Lee Miller as Roger Collins, Bella Heathcote as Victoria Winters, Jackie Earle Haley as Willie Loomis, Chloe Grace Moretz as Caroline Stoddard and Michelle Pfieffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard.
Here are the 9 new character posters for “Dark Shadows”:
(image)
(image)
(image)
(image)
(image)
(image)
(image)
(image)
(image)
If you’re unfamiliar with Dark Shadows it was originally a gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on ABC from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. We’re sure that Burton has a ton of updated ideas for his film, while playing homage to the television show. Below is the official synopsis for the film:
In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet–or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy…until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles. Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth’s ne’er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger’s precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David’s new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.
In case you missed it last week, here is the official trailer for the film:
Well the wait is finally over as the first official trailer and poster for Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows has been released. Johnny Depp plays a vampire by the name of Barnabus and stars opposite Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Chloe Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, and Michelle Pfeifer.
If you’re unfamiliar with Dark Shadows it was originally a gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on ABC from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. We’re sure that Burton has a ton of updated ideas for his film, while playing homage to the television show. Below is the official synopsis for the film:
In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet–or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy…until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles. Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth’s ne’er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger’s precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David’s new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.
The Weinstein’s aren’t going down without a fight, they want a PG-13 rating for their documentary “Bully“. The problem is that the MPAA says the movie deserves the R-Rating it was given and they have no plans to change it. However, this isn’t stopping them from gaining support from some pretty big names from within, and outside the industry.
Academy Award winning actress Meryl Streep, along with her daughter Mamie Gummer, will co-host a screening of the film with attorney David Boies, who was partly responsible overturning Proposition 8 in California. The screening is being setup for New York City, details of the screening are forthcoming.
Just last week we saw Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa co-anchor a screening of the film in New York City, which was presented by Bing. In addition to that screening, Bing also has plans of hosting an additional screening in LA. Johnny Depp has even thrown in his support for the film, it’s unclear what he has planned in regards to his support for the film or if he has plans on hosting a screening.
In a clear victory for the “Bully” cause, Gerry Lopez, CEO of AMC Theaters, one of the biggest theater chains in the world, spoke out against the R-Rating the movie was awarded by the MPAA, by saying, “To ‘automatically default’ BULLY is a mistake. Automatic default to a rating, a category, a genre… doesn’t matter, is a mistake. The message, the movie and its social relevance defy that kind of formulaic, conventional thinking. AMC will show this movie, and we invite our guests to engage in the dialogue its relevant message will inevitably provoke.”
Ellen DeGeneres, a huge supporter of the film, devoted some time during an episode of her talk show for interviewing Kay Butler, the teenager who started the petition urging the MPAA to lower their rating of “Bully” from R to PG-13.
This past Friday, Justin Bieber joined the cause, telling his fans via Twitter about the movie and encouraging them to stand up for one another. To help the cause further, Bieber is currently working with The Weinstein Company on what he can do for the film.
American clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger is in the works of designing an exclusive t-shirt, based of the movie poster, which will be sold at his stores with a portion of the proceeds going to Facing History and Ourselves. Hilfiger is the first of ten designers that The Weinstein Company plans to ask to donate their time and services for fundraising efforts. Iconic photographer David LaChapelle has also offered his talents towards an advertising campaign for the film.
The “Bully” cause is even spreading to our nations capital now as over 20 members of Congress have signed on the the bipartisan letter, to the MPAA, which was drafted by Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.). The letter is urges former Senator Chris Dodd, now Chairman of the MPAA, to overturn their initial rating of the film. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) has called for a PG-13 rating via Twitter, and has told The Weinstein Company she plans to be more active in her protest of the MPAA’s rating.
If you’d like to find out more about the documentary “Bully”, you can find the official synopsis of the film below along with the films trailer.
Directed by Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker, Lee Hirsch, The Bully Project is a beautifully cinematic, character-driven documentary. At its heart are those with huge stakes in this issue whose stories each represent a different facet of Americas bullying crisis. The Bully Project follows five kids and families over the course of a school year. Stories include two families who have lost children to suicide and a mother awaiting the fate of her 14-year-old daughter who has been incarcerated after bringing a gun on her school bus. With an intimate glimpse into homes, classrooms, cafeterias and principals offices, the film offers insight into the often cruel world of the lives of bullied children. As teachers, administrators, kids and parents struggle to find answers, The Bully Project examines the dire consequences of bullying through the testimony of strong and courageous youth. Through the power of their stories, the film aims to be a catalyst for change in the way we deal with bullying as parents, teachers, children and society as a whole.
Do you think the MPAA will ever change the rating of “Bully”? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.
If you wish to sign the petition, which has nearly 300,000 signatures, you can do so here.
