March 2004
ound by DeppsDebb
Premiere magazine'sSpecial Collector issueThe 100 Greatest Movie Characters
#87 Captain Jack Sparrow
Played by Johnny Depp in POTC:COTBP (2003, dir.gore Verbinski)
Only a actor as eccentrically inventive as Depp could morph Errol Flynn circa "Captain Blood" with Keith Richards circa "Exile on Main St." and add a soupcon of swishbuckling ambiguity to his elegantly wasted mannerisms. While it's never clear whether Jack is hero or villian, what's certain is that despite his failings as a pirate, he thinks he's one pretty hip buccaneer.
Defining Moment: His arrival in Port Royal is marked by triumphant music and a dramatic tracking shot of Captain Jack against an exquisite sky. As the scene continues, it's revealed that his vessel is a decrepit dinghy, barely able to make it to the dock before sinking.#65 Edward Scissorhands
Played by Johnny Depp in ES (1990, dir. Tim Burton)
The unfinished creation of an eccentric inventor (Vincent Price), Edwards is Burton's take on Frankenstein's monster. His menancing appearance belies a gentle, lonely soul,one far too fragile to fit into the cookie-cutter suburb where he's taken by a good-hearted Avon lady (Dianne Wiest) after she's called on his isolated castle. Though Edward is made by man, he had the soul of an artist (specialty: haircuts and topiary), and he cannot stomach the ugliness of the communtity that first embraces him, then manipulates, and finally rejects him.
Defining Moment: when the girl he loves (Winona Ryder) whispers "Hold me" it's a bittersweet moment for this consummate outsider. Edward raises his scissor hands, hesitates, and then sadly tells her, "I can't".
Found by Reemi
Acting out, the Johnny Depp way
Kansas City KansanI knew it, the audience knew it. Even before -- and definitely after seeing "Secret Window," Johnny Depp was the best thing about the movie. The same Depp praise fits his last starrer, 2003"s "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." Sure "Pirates" has great special effects and a unique swashbuckling story, but it is Depp's brilliantly eccentric, Oscar nominated performance that sells the picture. So it has been in a number of Johnny Depp vehicles. Even with a sparse script, Depp strikes acting gold. Such talent from the unlikeliest of stars.
His quirky presence on TV's "21 Jump Street" (1987-90) made him a teen idol. Now, 14 years later, Johnny Depp's motion picture track record includes memorable portrayals of a paranoid writer ("Secret Window"), a cross dressing, wacko director ("Ed Wood"), a child-like, man-built creature with slice-dice fingers ("Edward Scissorhands"), and the literally full of tears juvenile delinquent in "Cry-Baby." His movie role choices seem as diverse as his acting style. So what is Depp's secret talent?
Answer: There is no secret. Depp just does his special things. Just observe his acting techniques. Consider this an in-Depp look.
A Johnny Depp Primter: How To Act Differently.
* "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the BlackPearl" (2003) -- It's about body language. Flaunt Captain Jack's pirate clothes by gaying down and sashaying when you walk. Flail those limp wrists about, especially when holding a saber. Get into peoples' faces, talk heavy-breathed. Appear drunk or high, cocking your head when speaking. Maintain that silly grin. Then claim it's all modeled on a Rolling Stones musician.
* "Ed Wood" (1997) -- As a male, it is a must to recognize your female side. Show a bi-eye for bizarre guys and gals with names like Criswell, Tor, Bela and Vampira. Look natural in a lady's fuzzy sweater. Appear driven, a workaholic.
* "Edward Scissorhands" (1990) -- Tap into toddler years to play the bizarre title character as a trusting child of wonderment. Important: DO NOT pick nose or scratch booty while in costume!
* "Cry-Baby" (1989)--Shedding tears on cue is a must. Otherwise director John Waters will apply stunt tears. Be a quick study for the "Jailhouse Rock"-like dance sequences. Look both distraught and horny simultaneously.
* "Secret Window" (2004) -- Show Mort Rainey's frustration by violent phone hang-ups. Bark at the phone, literally. Make faces at the phone. Wear a fedora pulled low. Sleep in a fetal position. Comb your hair with an egg beater. Talk out loud to yourself. And practice shucking corn.
* "21 Jump Street" (TV series) -- As Officer Tom Hanson, you'll run almost constantly to and from crooks. Hang with high schoolers since you are an undercover cop.
* "Sleepy Hollow" (1999) -- Practice fainting on cue, especially when a prop head rolls between your legs.
* "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" (2003) -- Merely follow simple tips: Do your Brando impersonation while dressed as a priest; blindfold yourself to prepare for the bloody, sight impaired shoot-out; and be gracious to Antonio Banderas when he discovers you have stolen the film from him.
* "Benny & Joon" (1993) -- Do your Buster Keaton impression. Show your joy of performing pantomime for a street crowd. Perfect juggling several balls at once. Wear a cool hat, pulled down low (a great idea for future films).
* "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" (1993) -- Maintain intensity and focus. Learn to safely operate a vehicle while Leonardo DiCaprio's mentally challenged character goes ballistic in the back seat. Practice climbing water towers.
* "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (upcoming in 2005) -- Sure it's a remake of the classic "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," but there is nothing wrong with ad libbing "The Peppermint Twist" dance while walking through the Gobstopper lab. Be anyone but Gene Wilder.
Next two Found by Emma
I hated my pretty-boy image
By Jan Janssen
31 March 2004
'When I met Vanessa and fell in love with her I came out of the fog I'd been in for so long...' JAN JANSSEN meets up with Johnny DeppJohnny Depp doesn't mind admitting that he's enjoying a very happy life these days. Not only has his marriage to Vanessa Paradis produced two children 5-year-old daughter Lily-Rose and 2 1/2-year-old son Jack but it's also given him the peace of mind and sense of place in the world that he was missing for most of his life. He's also found a new home in his beloved France (dividing time between Paris and Provence), where he feels that the French pay him the kind of respect for his privacy that America's celebrity-obsessed culture never could. He's also basking in the success of the first family-style film of his career, Pirates of the Caribbean, which earned over half a billion dollars and landed him an Oscar nomination. But don't think that a sudden boost to his bankability as an actor will change his attitudes toward fame and fortune. The only thing which truly matters to him is the private joy found in his relationship with the French singer/ actress and his two children.
"I was in a fog for so long that I never really knew what it was like to have peace of mind," admits Depp. "I spent a long time feeling uncomfortable in my own skin and that led me to do a lot of stupid things. I was caught up with poisoning myself with the life I was leading in LA. But when I met Vanessa and fell in love with her, from the very beginning it completely changed my thinking. She gave me a reason for being, and when we started our family I just knew that this was what life was all about. Now I'm just a regular guy, a family man who loves his family to death and just has this strange job to go along with it."
Depp's new film, Secret Window, has him playing a writer working from a remote mountain retreat whose life is suddenly threatened by the presence of a mysterious stalker (John Turturro) who claims that Depp's character has plagiarised his work and must now face 'justice'. Depp, 40, speaks softly and in a very affable tone, and is as polite as one could possibly imagine.
Was your Oscar nomination a career validation?
It was a shock! My performance was pretty out there and while we were filming Pirates there was a lot of people who worried that I was pushing the envelope a bit far! (Laughs.) But it worked out in the end and everybody came away from the film feeling pretty good about the result and obviously it reached a huge audience. So, overall, I'm really happy people about the whole experience.
Is it odd how Pirates has thrust you back into the Hollywood mainstream after many years where your films with the exception of Sleepy Hollow often didn't find a large audience?
It's surprising considering how I've spent a lot of time fighting against the mainstream and playing a lot of characters and doing a lot of films which were pretty unconventional. I always fought the whole movie-star trip because I didn't see anything creatively interesting in playing up to a certain fixed image.
You hated your pretty-boy image that was foisted on you after 21 Jump Street...
In the worst way. When I started doing movies I didn't want to be a poster boy and get turned into something saccharine and obnoxiously cute and processed. I hated the idea of becoming a commodity, where nothing has any value and its all about appearances and image and everything artificial just for the sake of making money. I remember getting scripts action things, romantic leads, which had its life sucked out of it. But I can still remember reading the script for Edward Scissorhands and I immediately identified with this guy who is totally out of place in the world.
Your new film, Secret Window has you playing a writer living in an isolated setting with a strange man (John Torturro) stalking you...
It's almost like having my own worst private nightmares come true.(Laughs.) I'm paranoid about being watched and so playing someone who's basically being stalked was a very weird experience.
The producers must be quite happy that suddenly the star of their film has gotten a huge amount of visibility from Pirates and the Oscar nomination?
Yeah, it's kind of a nice bonus and I think Secret Window deserves an audience. But the truth is that I've never purposely tried to make unsuccessful movies. I simply wanted to make interesting films, which often means that you're not going to be playing action heroes or romantic leads because often the substance to those kinds of characters is very thin. And as an actor, I like having something to think about when I'm working and I truly enjoy the process of creating a character.
Does your current box-office standing mean you're tempted to take advantage of your success and make movies now that you might have turned down before?
No. I pretty much spent most of my career doing everything I could not to become a star and play romantic leads. I've been running away from celebrity for so long now that I don't think I'm suddenly going to go down that road even if a lot of money is getting thrown my way. I'd still rather play interesting characters than go down the movie-star route. The only thing I really care about is what a wonderful life I have with Vanessa and our children my work only interests me to the point where I can be creative in some way. You won't see me flying my own private jet to Aspen or skiing in Switzerland with the aristocracy. (Laughs.)
When did you first meet Vanessa?
I was working on a film and happened to be sitting in this restaurant one night. I was kind of bored, and then I noticed some woman with her back to me. I was kind of intrigued by her neck of all things, and then she turned around and looked back and we made eye contact. That was all it took. I was completely in love. She had me!
What has your life together meant to you?
It's completely transformed my way of thinking and my outlook on everything. I was functioning in some strange kind of fog before we met. For a long time I was deeply uncomfortable in my own skin and though I had a lot of outward success as an actor I was very miserable and unhappy for most of that time. I just couldn't find any peace of mind. But being with Vanessa and having a family with her has just made things come together for me. I needed to have something to hold onto and a life which seemed real and meaningful to me. And I've found that. It doesn't get any better than this.
Is it important for you to be living in France now?
It's much easier for me in France. No one cares who I am and it's very rare that anyone acknowledges me in the street or takes my photo. The French public keeps a polite distance from so-called celebrities, and since I'm fairly paranoid about being watched or followed this gives me a lot of peace of mind. The only people who bother us are the paparazzi but even they're bored with watching us take our kids for a walk or seeing me wearing bad clothes and a funny hat. (Laughs.)
Does being a happy family man come as a surprise?
Oh, yeah! A huge surprise but a very nice one! When I found myself with this incredibly beautiful and talented woman I just knew that we were going to be happy together. There wasn't any doubt in my mind. I just knew it. My family is everything to me. I want my children to grow up in a simple and calm environment. Everything is not about the next movie or pay cheque. I love the idea of our children growing up in France and in the US. People think we never spend time in the States but that's not true, it's more that their mother is French and that I love living over there and taking in the culture and the cafés. It's a different way of life.They'll spend time in the States and get to know their father's culture, but in terms of educating them and protecting them from their father's celebrity, they're better off being in France. And their father's head is much better off for not being in LA. (Laughs.)
Are you an active father playing and feeding your kids and so on?
I love playing with my kids. I just love seeing their happy faces and how unspoiled and free they feel. I also laugh at their reactions to things they see for the first time or the way my son Jack runs back and forth around the house and smashes into everything and then just keep on going like a little freight train.
Is it tough being away from them when you make movies?
It can be. But if possible they'll come visit me or I'll get away and spend time with them. It's usually not a problem.
Was it a question of finding the right woman or having gone through a lot of stuff in your life to get to the point where you were ready to find the right woman?
It's hard to say. I feel like I've been on this long strange journey for many years not knowing where I was going or what I was doing with myself, obsessing about a lot of nonsense. And suddenly all that neurotic garbage that has been churning around in my brain for years and years simply disappeared. It was like this switch got thrown and, boom, I could see everything clearly for the first time. It sounds like a bad cliché, but that's exactly what happened to me. When you click with someone, it's hard to explain why everything becomes so easy, but it does. It wipes the slate clean.
Have you finally made peace with your celebrity and movie stardom?
In some ways. I'm still uncomfortable with the attention because there's still a deeper side of me which doesn't feel I've really done anything so important to deserve this much attention. I feel I have a certain gift for mimicry and stepping into characters as an actor, but it's not something I find very difficult. So it's constantly amazing to me that there's so much attention paid to what I do. It used to bother me in a negative way and made me angry. Now I've just accepted it as part of culture. It comes with the job. I'm not fighting windmills anymore. I sometimes wonder why it took me so long.
~*~*~
March 30, 2004JOHNNY IS A STRIP TEASER
Scores of British beauties will have a dream chance to get naked with Johnny Depp in his next movie.
But things could get a bit nippy - he's filming it on the Isle of Man.
The Libertine calls for more than 300 extras, many of whom will be asked to bare all.
Depp, who will star with Samantha Morton and John Malkovich, plays the Earl of Rochester, a saucy 17th century poet who died from booze and syphilis at 33, and was a pal of King Charles II.
A source close to the actor said: "This film won't be for the faint-hearted.
"It will contain many scenes of a sexual nature and there will be little time for modesty.
"Nudity, partial nudity and simulated sex acts are all in the script."
Former Page 3 model Nina Carter, who's finding the extras, said: "There will be full and part nudity parts. It is a controversial film and will contain a fair amount of nudity.
"We are not necessarily looking for young people, in fact the older the better for some scenes."
Replies:
Anyone seen Johnny?
THEY seek him here, they seek him there - but the star of a costume drama currently being filmed on the Gwent border is proving elusive.Claims that Oscar nominee Johnny Depp had been spotted in a village near Abergavenny and was staying at a Newport hotel remained unsubstantiated.
Scenes for the Hollywood heart-throb's new movie, The Libertine, are being shot in Llangynidr, near Crickhowell.
Depp, 40, who was recently nominated for an Oscar for his role in the swashbuckling blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean, was said to have arrived at Cardiff International Airport in a private jet.
He was rumoured to be staying at the Celtic Manor Resort, in Newport, although a spokesman refused to comment.
Depp, whose hit movies also include Edward Scissorhands and Sleepy Hollow, plays the role of John Wilmot, the 2nd Earl of Rochester, a poet and friend of Charles II who is renowned for his womanising ways.
Oscar-nominated British actress Samantha Morton plays the female lead, and Dangerous Liaisons star John Malkovich takes the role of Charles II. The Libertine is directed by Lawrence Dunmore and adapted from a play by Stephen Jeffreys, and filming at Llangynidr is due to end today.
And it seems the local hotel industry is certainly benefiting from the Depp-effect.
A spokeswoman for Gilffaes Country House Hotel, in Crickhowell, confirmed that members of the cast had been staying there. She said: "We have had some of the minor cast members staying, but they have now left."
Meanwhile, at The Bear Inn, Crickhowell, management were delighted to be playing host to members of the film's crew.
Hotel manager Steve Hindmarsh said: "They are one of the best crews we have ever had staying here, very professional."
DEPP NEEDS NAKED EXTRAS:
from: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=14099749&method=full&siteid=89488&headline=depp-needs-naked-extras-name_page.html
DEPP NEEDS NAKED EXTRAS Mar 29 2004MOVIE heart-throb Johnny Depp is on the look out for dozens of extras to appear naked in his latest UK-based film.
Men and women over 16 are needed to appear in Depp's boddice-ripper,The Libertine.
Casting boss and ex-Page 3 girl Nina Carter said: 'It will contain a fair bit of nudity. We are not just looking for youngsters. In fact the older the better for some scenes.'
Actors make ‘Secret Window’ worth seeing
By Timothy O’Connor
Staff Writer The Exponent"Secret Window" is a showcase of Johnny Depp’s ability to turn an average movie into something funny, thrilling and entertaining.
Depp plays Mort Rainey, a frustrated writer going through a rough divorce. When the mysterious and intimidating John Shooter (John Turturro) visits Rainey’s reclusive New York home, he accuses Rainey of plagiarizing one of his stories and threatens him when Rainey denies the claim.
Shooter terrorizes Rainey but agrees to give him three days to find the copy of the story, "Secret Window," that Rainey insists was published before Shooter’s work.
Rainey finds that securing the journal in which the story was published is much more difficult when he is forced to confront his estranged wife. Meanwhile, Shooter continues to make threats against Rainey and his ex-wife if Rainey does not change the ending of "Secret Window" to what Shooter wants.
"Secret Window" is a psychological thriller based on the Stephen King book. Like most of King’s books-turned-films, the action is a bit slow and the story gradually builds to a suspenseful finish.
The film’s major twist is not revealed until the very end, but it comes off feeling more than a bit cliché. However, it still works and will keep most audiences guessing until the end. Shooter’s true motives for confronting Rainey and the importance of Shooter’s ending are vital to the sense of anticipation throughout the movie.
Depp and Turturro carry "Secret Window" out of the depths of an average film to something worth seeing. Depp gives the movie its character with his over-the-top acting and makes the audience truly care about Rainey, his ex-wife and the problems Shooter causes for him.
Turturro makes for an intimidating villain and moves the plot forward when the action starts to slow down. Shooter’s tall black hat is a great symbol throughout the movie and it helps set "Secret Window" apart from other thrillers.
However, the other characters in Rainey’s life leave a lot to be desired. They are not developed thoroughly and lack the interest of Rainey’s character. They provide the backdrops and motives to Rainey and Shooter’s confrontation but little else.
Depp and Turturro turn an otherwise forgetful drama into something audiences will remember. "Secret Window" is a solid movie in which the best scenes are the interactions between Rainey and Shooter revolving around Rainey’s struggles in life.
Found by Reemi
CHARMING' ACTORS DELIGHT DINERS WITH A SIGNING SESSION
Taunton Times
25 March 2004Customers at a Mendip pub found themselves in the spotlight on Friday night when they were joined for dinner by Hollywood heart-throb Johnny Depp. The American actor, who is in Somerset to film 17th-Century period piece The Libertine, was joined by co-star John Malkovich at The City Arms, Wells, last Friday evening.
The pair had kept a low-profile while filming scenes at the historic Montacute House near Yeovil earlier in the week - much to the dismay of the dozens of teenage girls who had waited outside to catch a glimpse of their idol.
But after tucking into a meal at the popular pub, they were more than happy to sign autographs for fellow diners and staff.
After enjoying a two-course meal with their entourage, they spent 20 minutes talking to fans and posing for pictures.
Pub owner John Hardy, aged 54, said: "Both Johnny Depp and John Malkovich were absolutely perfect. I've been in this business a long time and have dealt with some real idiot stars, but they could not have been nicer.
"They were charming. It was a pleasure to have them."
French waitress Gwen Ansquer, aged 31, was gleefully assigned the duty of serving the celebrities.
She said: "It was such a surprise. You never expect to see people like this. Johnny Depp spoke to me in French and then signed an autograph before wishing me good luck."
The star had reportedly agreed to meet the public after completing his last scenes at Montacute House but reneged when the crowd grew too large.
A producer told the crowd that Depp had decided not to make an appearance last Wednesday and a spokesman for the star blamed a local radio announcement for the cancellation.
He said: "If Johnny had done a photograph for every person there it would have taken hours. Johnny is really sorry, he really wanted to do this, but we simply weren't expecting so many people."
Depp will star in the movie as the 17th-Century poet John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester, a womaniser whose debauched way of life led him to an early death at the age of 33 from syphilis.
Found by SummerDaZe
Disney lines up Johnny Depp for new moviesJohnny Depp is in talks to appear in two Disney action films.
Jerry Bruckheimer wants him to star in the two back-to-back projects.
The movies are called Pirates Of The Caribbean and Takedown.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Depp is being lined up to start work on Pirates with director Gore Verbinski in October and then film Takedown with Michael Haussman from March 2003.
These two Found by Reemi
Depp rules as the actor who can do no wrong
By JOHANNA SCHNELLER
Friday, March 26, 2004 - Page R1 The Globe and MailI'am deeply fascinated by the resurgence in the American psyche of Johnny Depp. At a moment in which Jesus and zombies are vying for the top box-office slot -- which kind of says it all, if you ask me -- the hottest male star is a genuine subversive who lives in France (of all places), rags on U.S. politics, punches out the paparazzi, buries his beauty beneath tattoos and kooky hats, plays heroes as villains and vice-versa, and is permanently glued to the fringes of the film business.
Yet this year, two full decades into his fame, thanks to the runaway box office success of a kids' movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Depp was nominated for every major acting award (including the first Oscar nod of his career; he won the Screen Actors Guild award); received glowing reviews for mediocre follow-up films; and beamed from the cover of People magazine as the Sexiest Man Alive. I can only imagine him off in his vineyard, chain-smoking his hand-rolled cigarettes and cackling like a hen at this crazy upswing in his fortune.
And what an odd kids' movie with which to have scored such a home run: A comedy, from Disney, based on a theme-park ride, it's about pirates -- pirates who wear eye patches and say "Aargh," not exactly a genre that has inspired this generation to stampede the box office. Not only is Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow tarted up with beads in his beard, gold in his teeth and bike-tire-sized rings of kohl around his eyes, he's also doing a full-on homage to Keith Richards at his most addled crossed with Pepé Le Pew at his most devious, with enough word slurring and hand flapping to power the TV at the local booze can. And he's not even the lead.
One can only imagine the terrified reactions of the Disney executives when they glimpsed the first bits of film coming in from the set in Malta. The scene in which Depp and co-star Keira Knightley, marooned on a desert island, get drunk on rum, dance around a campfire and roar out the theme-park-ride lyrics, "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me," is particularly ripe. (Check out the depth of irony with which Depp delivers the line, "I love this song!") Soon, however, one could practically hear the suits' mental gears shifting when they realized that audiences not only got what Depp was doing, they adored it, to the tune of $300-plus-million (U.S.) at the box office, making Black Pearl the second-most successful film last year (after another fish story, Finding Nemo). Now it's going like gangbusters on video, too.
Suddenly, after making films upon films that were ignored critically and commercially (Nick of Time, anyone? The Man Who Cried?), Depp can do no wrong.
The nihilistic yet strangely dull Once Upon a Time in Mexico grossed $55-million, and Depp's performance -- he played a CIA agent as unalloyed human scum; to drive the point home, he wore a succession of sexist and stupid-slogan T-shirts, which he chose himself -- was glowingly received by critics.
His current film, Secret Window, is also strangely dull. Depp plays an author accused of plagiarism, and it does not seem to be a deliberate act of irony that every plot twist in the script has been lifted from better films, everything from Fight Club to The Shining. Yet it is similarly successful. It has grossed $33-million and garnered warm reviews of its own, such as this one from Weekly Variety: "What might have been a pedestrian thriller . . . is elevated several notches by Depp. The resourceful actor invigorates with a playful personality and wryly humorous aplomb."
Talk about invigorating! The truly odd thing is, Depp himself hasn't changed a jot. Ever since he lit his underwear on fire in his Vancouver trailer to get out of his contract as the star of the 1987-90 Fox TV drama 21 Jump Street (his character, dreamboat undercover cop Tom Hanson, landed him on a thousand teen-mag covers), Depp, 40, has stubbornly refused to play a conventional leading man. Though he is one of the most beautiful creatures you will ever see, with skin like maple butter, cheekbones you could spelunk in, and bottomless dark eyes, he is forever subverting his looks with scissor hands and snaggle teeth.
His ratty-bathrobed writer from Secret Window (even the bathrobe was stolen from better films, such as Michael Douglas's wore in Wonder Boys) is just one more wacko in the Depp continuum. He was an overripe pop idol in Cry Baby and a sad-eyed misfit in Edward Scissorhands. He played emotionally paralyzed in What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, Benny and Joon, Don Juan DeMarco and Dead Man; and real-life loony as Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and as the D-movie director in Ed Wood. "The damaged individual dealing with the world is the root of what I do," he once told me.
Most astonishingly, given his current success, when Depp plays so-called American heroes -- cops, G-men, sun-kissed astronauts -- he always plays them as cowardly (Sleepy Hollow), fatally compromised (Donnie Brasco, Once Upon a Time in Mexico) or downright creepy (The Astronaut's Wife).
About five years ago, he chucked the United States altogether and moved to France, where he fell in love with Vanessa Paradis -- who, ironically for the privacy-loving actor, is one of his adopted country's most hounded pop star/actresses. (She looks like Depp the way Bianca looked like Mick.) The couple, who are not married, have two children, Lily Rose Melody Depp, 4, and Jack, nearly 2. Periodically, Depp stomps back home to work; check on the Viper Room, the Hollywood nightclub he co-owns (made infamous when the actor River Phoenix died on the sidewalk outside in 1993); rant about the tabloids; and deliver excoriating opinions about America. Until this year, that is, when his schedule has expanded to include appearances on talk and awards shows, where he is cooed over equally by teenagers and their moms.
Depp's slate of upcoming films is as full, and as nervy, as ever. It includes a starring role as Willy Wonka in a remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Depp's fourth outing for director Tim Burton; and The Libertine, in which he'll play the randy Earl of Rochester opposite John Malkovich and fellow Oscar-nominee Samantha Morton (In America). And there is already Oscar buzz around his performance in J.M. Barrie's Neverland, due out later this year, in which he plays the Peter Pan creator as a drug addict with pedophilic leanings.
I would like to believe that Depp's breakthrough is a hopeful thing: That people, sick of manufactured, cookie-cutter celebrities, are finally appreciating Depp's genuineness and originality for the rare and precious things they are. That in a world crammed with ersatz, the real thing gleams. But I'm afraid it's more venal than that. He had a hit. It made a lot of dough. There will be a sequel (Depp's first). Fitzgerald said there are no second acts in America, but he was naive -- you can have all the acts you want, as long as you earn someone enough to pay for them.
I wish Depp had won the Oscar. I would have loved to hear his take on all this.
AND FILM STAR WAS COURTEOUS, UNASSUMING ANDMODEST
Taunton Times
25 March 2004Following the bad press reported in the Western Daily Press and Taunton Times about Johnny Depp's failure to meet the fans at Montecute House earlier in the week, we would like to redress the balance by saying that he met fans here in the Whiting Way car park, Wells, on Thursday night. Although we had to wait fo a while until he was ready, we all got to meet him in turn in a trailer where we were given the opportunity to have pictures taken and get an autograph.
There were about 80-100 people in the queue.
We also had the opportunity to have a quick chat and the whole thing was very relaxed.
As far as we could see he was personally dedicating every single item he signed, and he appeared to be a very unassuming, courteous and modest man.
My family and I were certainly impressed.
John, Gavin and Zoe Heath Wood Close Well
Johnny nominated for Saturn Award for Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean
You can read the entire list of nominees at The Saturn Awards
Wednesday, March 24th, 2004
Johnny Depp and 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2' sails back to theaters in 2006
Release Date: Summer, 2006 (estimated) (wide)When it was first announced as being greenlit, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was a punchline for skeptical fans across the Internet who saw another movie based on a Disney theme park ride as being a crazy idea for a movie. What got lost in those jokes was that the movie was only loosely inspired by the ride, that Jerry Bruckheimer was producing it, that Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley were set to be the next big things, and that Johnny Depp was going to turn in one of the best performances of his career. Ah, how things change once people start actually seeing trailers. So, the movie made over $600 million worldwide, and is now firmly set to be remembered as one of the greatest "sleeper hit" blockbusters of all time. And so, of *course*, there is going to be a sequel, and a third entry too. Disney and Bruckheimer are looking to save some coin in the process, by possibly filming both movies simultaneously in 2005, so they will come out of the process with a complete trilogy of 'Pirates' movies. The fans are definitely out there, and so as long as they keep the sequels entertaining and clever like the first, they should end up with a trilogy that is more like Back to the Future than The Matrix (to reference two other franchises where a hit movie inspired two filmed-back-to-back sequels).
This information is from Emma
The Montacute House Incident
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A couple of posts from the IMDB boards explaining events at MontacuteJust to set the record straight here, I have inside information about what happened at Montacute when Johnny was not able to meet the fans outside. He had agreed to meet the people living in the village that evening to thank them for respecting his privacy, but unfortunately this was repeatedly broadcast on local radio and the crowd was so large that he was not able to do as he promised, for safety reasons. A little girl was knocked over in the crowd, and 5 police cars had to be called in. The main thing is, his best intentions were spoilt by the media, and he was most likley very disappointed that he could not meet the people who he knew were waiting to see him.
Its not fair that he should be blamed for this or made to look bad, so please pass on the truth as he is genuinely a very kind and considerate person.If we're gonna set the record straight, let's do it properly shall we? Johnny had DEFINATELY agreed and was looking forward to meeting fans as well as locals. There were two police cars, and only one at the public entrance to Montacute, telling the crowd to move away, which about a quarter did. About 75% of the crowd were there because of an Orchard FM (local somerset radio) scam which got people to text them (at a cost of £1) to get info on how , where & when to meet Johnny. It was very unfair of them, and it was the sheer volume of the crowd which prevented Johnny meeting anyone, and no exceptions could be made. The salt in the wound was later that evening, Orchard FM claimed that "If you were thinking of going to Montacute to meet Johnny, the advise is don't bother because DUE TO FILMING OVER RUNNING he will not be meeting anybody." LIES LIES LIES. I won't be listening to their rip off station ever again. They should have consulted with production management before being so irrasponsible(sp?). There was not only Mr Depp to be removed from the site, but numerous very large production trucks and tonnes of equipment. Nobody was knocked over in the crowd, and parents were as conciencious as the production team security as to safety. I do still think that Johnny could have shown his face though, but he was advised against this and was taken off site secretly after 6.30pm. I'm sure he is kind & genuine and people shouldn't be slating him. Some of us left our adresses with production staff there, who promised to forward the info we asked for, and that we would be contacted in the near future. I hope we get a publicity photo, signed or not, because some of us were there because we were, and still are GENUINELY interested in the production of The Libertine.
CITY SET TO STAR IN HISTORIC DEPP FILM
Taunton Times
19 March 2004Film star Johnny Depp is working in Wells this week. Starring in a bodice-ripper period drama called The Libertine, he is to be filmed in the cathedral and at a house in Vicars Close today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday).
Security is expected to be extremely tight.
The film is directed by Laurence Dunmore and written by Stephen Jeffreys. It features John Malkovich as King Charles II and Johnny Depp as the Earl of Rochester, a 17th-century aristocrat who became involved in an ill-fated relationship with an actress, Elizabeth Barry.
Earlier this week Montacute in south Somerset was inundated with young girls seeking Johnny Depp's autograph while he was being filmed there.
A villager, Betty Bicknell, of Montacute, said: "They were queueing all the way down the road to Montacute House.
"One night they were in the snow and the next in the rain. We saw marquees and caravans and their drivers were in the Phelips Arms that night asking the way to Wells." Local people were alerted to the event when an advertisement appeared in this newspaper in February calling for gentlemen to appear as extras in the movie.
A casting session was held in the Swan Hotel, in Wells, on February 23, and more than 200 wannabe actors showed up.
Only 10 extras were used at Montacute House. They featured as gardeners and indoor staff and were all recruited locally.
A much larger number of extras is being used in Wells. Costume fitting has been taking place at the White Building and filming begins on the Cathedral Green and inside the building today.
The story of the love affair between poet John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, and Elizabeth Barry is a tragic one. He was born in Oxfordshire as the son of a Puritan mother and Royalist father.
After the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, he was given a pension of £500 a year for his father's loyalty to Charles I.
He was involved with Elizabeth Barry from 1675 to 1677 and she bore him a daughter, Elizabeth Clarke, who died at the age of 12.
Wilmot famously drank and debauched his way to dying of syphilis at the age of 33, only for his work to gain critical acclaim in later years.
Bond girl Rosamund Pike, star of Die Another Day, is also to feature in the film, as is Samantha Morton, who will play Elizabeth Barry.
Johnny Depp is famous for roles in films as diverse as Pirates of the Caribbean, Edward Scissorhands and Chocolat.
.Wells Cathedral featured in a film shoot last October by the BBC which will be transmitted at the end of April.
He Knew He Was Right is a new Andrew Davies adaptation of Anthony Trollope's novel for the BBC. Montacute House is one of the local properties which was used for the filming of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.
JOHNNY DEPP FILMS AMID TIGHT SECURITY
Taunton Times
19 March 2004Growing excitement this week in Wells has been centred on the White Building, where local film extras have been stripping off prior to trying on their costumes for the Hollywood movie, The Libertine, which is being filmed in the city today (Thursday) and tomorrow. One hundred and sixty local men have been hired to play lords, clergy, courtiers and guards alongside worldclass actors Johnny Depp and John Malkovich.
Recruited through the pages of the Wells Journal, these "supporting artistes" will be dressing at the town hall and parading across to the cathedral and Vicars Close where they will be filmed. They have been advised to bring umbrellas with them.
Speaking on behalf of the London-based public relations firm which is handling the film's publicity, Julia Finn of DDA, said: "Our film is a closed set, with no press access. I can confirm that it's a 17th-century drama based on the story of the second Earl of Rochester - poet, rake, soldier and courtier.
"The film is directed by Laurence Dunmore and the cast includes Johnny Depp, John Malkovich, Samantha Morton and Rosamund Pike." The Libertine has been billed as one of the movie production stories of the year. Less than two weeks away from the main filming, 30 per cent of its budget was knocked out by a UK tax clampdown.
In the nick of time a new financier was found when Isle of Man Film moved in to supply the additional £12.3 million needed to complete the film.
Johnny Depp's name was a huge draw. Fresh from the blockbusting Pirates of the Caribbean and the Curse of the Black Pearl, the Edward Scissorhands star is cast as the Earl of Rochester in the film's lead role.
Based on the novel The Libertine by Stephen Jeffries, the film tells the story of his involvement with an actress, Elizabeth Barry, played by Samantha Morton.
The story of their romance ends in tragedy. John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester, died at the age of 33 and their love child lived only 12 years.
From Emma:
THE NIGHT JOHNNY DEPP POPPED INTO OUR LOCAL FOR A PINT
20 March 2004Diners in Wells had a surprise when Hollywood stars Johnny Depp and John Malkovich dropped in for a bite to eat. Hearts began fluttering at the City Arms when the pair arrived unannounced.
The American actors are in Wells filming a 17th century period film, The Libertine, and their visit to the High Street pub marked a welcome appearance by the elusive Depp, who had been keeping a low profile.
Earlier in the week, he snubbed scores of fans outside Montacute House, near Yeovil, after promising to sign autographs.
But after enjoying a traditional two-course meal, the screen star proved he still had the common touch by winning over excited onlookers with his Hollywood charm. Pub owner Jim Hardy, 54, said: ''Both Johnny Depp and John Malkovich were absolutely perfect. I've been in this business a long time and have dealt with some real idiot stars, but they could not have been nicer. They were charming. It was a pleasure to have them."
The Hollywood heavyweights arrived separately at the popular pub in the early evening.
Accompanied by members of their entourage, they settled at a table in the upstairs part of the restaurant.
The City Arms is well known for using fresh produce from the Somerset area and for selling real ales such as Butcombe and Smiles.
Gwen Ansquer, 31, from France, was the lucky waitress who served the celebrity customers.
She said: ''It was such a surprise. You never expect to see people like this. We were all excited. They had two courses and were all drinking beer and wine. They were very friendly and afterwards told me they had a nice meal. Johnny Depp spoke to me a little in French and then signed an autograph before wishing me good luck."
As word got around that the Hollywood pair were in town, a small crowd of well-wishers gathered outside the City Arms waiting for them to leave.
And this time they were in luck, for the pair spent nearly 20 minutes talking to fans and posing for pictures. Jenny Fox-Clinch, 57, from Blagdon, who was dining in the pub's restaurant at the time, said: ''They were both chatting and talking and seemed in no rush; it was a very nice atmosphere. Johnny Depp signed lots of autographs and actually had to be ushered away in the end.
"It was funny to see him in the flesh, though he did look a bit scruffy and he's a lot shorter than you think."
From Emma:
Hollywood Stars Dine in BreconHollywood Legends, Johnny Depp and John Malkovich were both in Crickhowell South Wales last week for the filming of their latest blockbuster The Libertine. Although filming was taking place in Crickhowell, both Depp and Malkovich took an instant liking to the charm and attraction of nearby Peterstone Court Hotel in Brecon. It soon became their favourite retreat after a hard days filming, with both stars dining at the hotels restaurant the Bistro.
Johnny Depp in particular, enjoyed the relaxed and informal atmosphere that has now been created at the Hotel as a result of its new ownership. Returning during the week on a number of occasions, he enjoyed all the leisure facilities available and especially dining in the Bistro. The style of its simple French cooking and use of local produce was a home-from-home experience that he clearly enjoyed and was true to his now adopted homeland of France.
Fresh from his recent appearance at the Oscar Ceremony in California, Depp was shooting scenes in the historic Tretower near Crickhowell. The story focuses on 17th-century womanising poet John Wilmot (Johnny Depp), the Earl of Rochester, who befriended King Charles II (John Malkovich) and died at the young age of 33, after falling in love with aspiring actress Elizabeth Barry (Samantha Morton).
When dining at the Bistro, Depp’s particular favourites were the local Pea and Ham soup and the fabulous Sticky Toffee Pudding. Indeed his liking of this house speciality was such that he took extra portions away with him for his partner Vanessa Paradis and their children.
No higher compliment could be paid to the Hotel than when leaving, Depp promised that when next in Wales he would be “heading straight back to Peterstone Court.”
From Reemi
Plumbing the depths of Depp
19 Maarch 2004
Model actor draws inspiration from real people when creating unforgettable characters
By Glenn Whipp
Los Angeles Daily NewsEveryone wants to know just one thing from Johnny Depp: Who is the model for his latest character?
Depp revealed that he based the irrepressible scoundrel Capt. Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean on Rolling Stone Keith Richards and amorous skunk Pepe Le Pew.
That was probably the most popular indulgence in eccentricity in movie history, powering Pirates to box-office heights and winning Depp an Oscar nomination.
``I'm still in shock,'' Depp said. ``It was definitely outside the box.''
But Depp lives outside the box. Witness his Pirates follow-up, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, which had him playing a crazy CIA agent living, as he puts it, ``la vida loca,'' engineering a series of political intrigues south of the border. Depp modeled this character on a Hollywood charmer he once knew.
Now comes the psychological thriller Secret Window, with Depp starring as Mort Rainey, a reclusive writer living in a mountain cabin, trying to get through a painful divorce and contending with a psycho hillbilly who believes Rainey plagiarized his story.
Depp makes Mort into a disheveled hard-luck case, the kind of guy who avoids mirrors because he has let his personal hygiene go to seed in an alarming way.
So who was the inspiration this time?
``Brian Wilson,'' Depp said. ``I remember hearing those famous stories or maybe myths about him in this very reclusive period where he didn't leave his house and had sand brought in to cover his living-room floor. Then he dropped the baby grand on top of that and wrote these great classics. That was the level of reclusiveness I was looking for.''
Said Secret Window writer-director David Koepp: ``So much of this movie is a guy in a cabin alone. So I needed a really charismatic actor who could make taking a nap look entertaining. And that's Johnny. He's never boring. He's all about the minutiae that builds into fascinating characters.''
Filmmakers love Depp for the lengths to which he's willing to go to get the job done. Go back to his breakthrough Edward Scissorhands. Tim Burton shot the movie in Florida in the middle of summer, yet there was Depp running around in a full leather suit and heavy makeup, at one point passing out.
His choices since then -- movies like Ed Wood, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Donnie Brasco, What's Eating Gilbert Grape? -- have been movies that ``in 50 years, when I'm smoke, will be something my kids will be proud of, hopefully.''
``What I most like about Pirates is that Johnny gambled a $150 million movie on a performance that was out there,'' Koepp said. ``He approached the role the same way he would have on a $2 million movie, and that takes guts because all the forces in Hollywood are aligned against you when you do that. Everybody's saying, `It's too risky. What are you thinking?' ''
Or, as director Burton put it: ``He simply has no fear of failure. And, in Hollywood, that makes him unique.''
These days, Depp seems somewhat astonished at all the good will directed his way. The 40-year-old actor (can he really be 40?) shakes his head at the idea of an Oscar nomination for a movie that, a year ago, everyone assumed was something of a crass way to cash in on a theme-park ride.
Now he's talking about a sequel (or maybe two).
``I could never have gotten the character right if I didn't have children of my own,'' said Depp, father to 4-year-old Lily Rose and Jack, nearly 2, with actress Vanessa Paradis. ``For a good solid four years, my daughter and I have been watching every single Disney animated film and after 10 times, 20 times, 50 times, as an actor, I'm thinking, `What freedom these characters have.' And because they're animated, we don't question it.
``So, going into Pirates, I thought, `Why not?' The goal was to create a character that 5-year-olds could get into as well as the most jaded, hard-core intellectual. Keep it in that arena of the cartoon, but be believable in the arena of film.''
Like many men who come to fatherhood a bit late, Depp speaks of his children with a mixture of awe and absolute enchantment. They've certainly mellowed him, these ``gifts,'' as he calls his kids.
But he still finds himself occasionally in the middle of controversy. Depp said media accounts that he lives solely in France are untrue.
``I still live in Los Angeles,'' Depp said. ``I just happen to have a home in France as well because my kids are half-French. I've always gone back and forth between L.A. and France. With location time, it's not even a split. I'm here more.''
If that sounds like a man trying to soften his image, well, maybe it is. Most people mellow with time. Depp even appears to be cutting back on smoking, although publicists still build in several cigarette breaks for him during an afternoon of interviews. (``I'm starting to get the better of the habit,'' he said. ``One has to make the conscious decision to get hold of the habit that's had you for so long.'')
Depp is currently filming The Libertine, a biography of John Wilmot, aka the Earl of Rochester, the 17th century poet described by Samuel Johnson as having ``contempt of decency and order, a total disregard to every moral and a resolute denial of every religious observation. He lived worthless and useless and blazed out his youth and health in lavish voluptuousness.''
After that, he will collaborate with Burton in a new version of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The upshot: Continue to expect the unexpected, at least when it comes to the movies Depp chooses.
``He's never going to fit into one category,'' Burton said. ``That's the beauty of the guy.''
Story thanks to Emma
FANS UP EARLY TO SEE STARS
Tauton Times
19 March 2004The streets of Wells resembled a set from Tinseltown yesterday as Hollywood heavyweights Johnny Depp and John Malkovich filmed in the Somerset city. The superstars stepped on the scene to continue shooting the 17th century period drama The Libertine.
Filming is expected to last two days and is taking place in the Chapter House of the famous cathedral, where a scene from the House of Lords is being re-enacted, and at a house in Vicars Close.
Starstruck girls and adoring fans arrived early on set, eager to catch a glimpse of the stars of the film - especially after Depp had snubbed them the previous day, despite promising an autograph session at Montacute House, near Yeovil.
Only Malkovich made a brief appearance for onlookers.
Harry of Ain't It Cool News, reports that Robert Rodriquez may work with Johnny again in "Sin City."
Full story here: AICN
Depp: Pretending For A Living
LONDON, March 19, 2004(CBS) Movie audiences who were so taken with Johnny Depp's unorthodox approach to piracy in last year's smash hit "Pirates of the Caribbean" will be thrilled to know that Depp is back.
His new movie is the suspense thriller "Secret Window," in which he plays a writer whose life disintegrates to a terrifying conclusion.
Depp is shooting his next movie in England, where CBS News Correspondent Mark Phillips sat down and talked with him.
There are few people in Hollywood who can get away with what Johnny Depp can. The actor has earned the right to walk around in silly hats after the spectacular success of his last movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean." But, he's in a state of showbiz denial.
"Movie stars are guys like Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum," says Depp. "Those are movie stars. I'm a guy with a strange job."
Depp has made a career out of being different. His Captain Jack Sparrow act in "Pirates" stayed away from the old "yo-ho-ho-and-a-bottle of rum" stereotype, and may have changed the way audiences will think of buccaneers forever.
And Depp's portrayal of tormented writer Mort Rainey in his new release -- the Steven King psycho-thriller "Secret Window" -- will also surprise audiences.
In the movie, Rainey goes through a hard divorce and some other changes. You'll have to see the film to find out more.
"For me as an actor, for an actor, this is a great, very challenging," Depp says of his character. "It's a genre I've never really investigated and its a very different kind of character … Its very rare to get a script that you have an emotional investment in by page six, and each page its like, 'Wow. Where is this thing going?'"
But then Depp has always had an attraction for the oddball character in mysterious movies. From what seemed like a mutant hairdresser in "Edward Scissorhands," to the ghost-ridden presence of "Sleepy Hollow," to "Pirates," Depp has tended toward the dark side and not to take himself or his work too seriously.
"Pretending for a living, you know, essentially telling lies for a living," Depp laughs. "It's a weird job, but I mean I've had weirder jobs. I sold ink pens over the telephone."
Now, Depp has been able to pick his roles and define them to his own liking.
"I've been in this racket for about 20 years now, and you know you go through phases where one week you're on the list, the A-list," explains Depp. "Then you're off the list for a month, or a year, and then you're back on because there's a movie coming out that might do well. And, then the movie flops and you're off the list. So, sometimes the road is bumpy. Sometimes the road is smooth. It's all the same to me. I just do my job."
And that road will take him wherever he wants to go. Currently, he's shooting another offbeat film, "The Libertine." The story is of an infamous freethinker and rake. Then it's a romp through a remake of "Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory" and back to Captain Jack Sparrow and the "Pirates" sequel. All great fun while it lasts, and why shouldn't it?
©MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Playbill reports Cry Baby may make it to the stage
JOHNNY GIVES FANS THE COLD SHOULDER
18 March 2004Superstar Johnny Depp broke hearts for all the wrong reasons yesterday by refusing to meet devoted West fans. Scores of admirers turned up to the final day's shooting of his latest film The Libertines at Montacute House, near Yeovil, Somerset.
Devoted fans who turned up at the set each night had been told that Johnny had finally agreed to meet them yesterday.
But after hours of waiting in eager anticipation, their hopes were dashed when the American producer announced the crowd was too large.
A spokesman for Depp blamed it on a local radio announcement which had brought in too many people.
But after one of Depp's minders threatened two teenage girls with a stick at Montacute House last week as they went in search of his autograph, fans were left asking whether success had gone to his head.
Four years ago, while based in Bath filming Chocolat, Depp went antique hunting in the city shops and mingled with the crowds freely.
But since his Oscar nomination for Pirates of the Caribbean, he has become increasingly distant and has given fans the cold shoulder.
Fern Laurie, 16, of Langport, Somerset, fumed: "I'm really angry. He's my favourite film star and I was really excited about meeting him."
Friend Alice White, 16, added: "He could at least come to the gate and let us take a photograph of him.
"We have been coming here every afternoon, and each time they told us we could meet him the next day."
Joanne Miller, 33, had come on behalf of Cancer Research from Chippenham, Wiltshire, in the hope of having charity T-shirts signed.
She said: "I am extremely disappointed. I came up on Monday night and have been waiting since then to meet him.
A spokesman for the star told fans: "If Johnny were to do a photograph for every person here it would take too many hours. Johnny is really sorry - he really wanted to do this, but we simply weren't expecting this many people."
TIGHT SECURITY AS STAR SHOOTS BODICE-BUSTER
18 March 2004Hollywood heart-throb Johnny Depp was in south Somerset this week shooting scenes for his latest blockbuster, The Libertine, in which he plays an l8th Century poet, but he proved to be more like The Invisible Man. Reporter Bob Beale turned paparazzo for three days as he went in seach of the star.
Teenage girls may have swooned at the prospect of heart-throb Johnny Depp filming at Montacute House. But for other Montacute residents there was a tangible sense of apathy, and it was a case of business as usual for those unimpressed by Hollywood and the preparations for shooting the star's latest offering, The Libertine.
In the film, Depp's character has to be rescued from a well, and a digger was busy excavating the hole last Wednesday. At Montacute House itself, black curtains created a suitably subdued atmosphere and there was no sign of demented teenage fans playing truant from school in their eagerness to catch a glimpse of their idol.
Villagers are used to having cameras in their midst after Montacute was used as a location for Oscar-winning Sense And Sensibility and the BBC's A History Of Britain.
Ken Lane, licensee of The Phelips Arms, said: "The crew came in yesterday but they're only customers and it doesn't impact much. But it is nice for the village."
Not even the prospect of bumping into the man himself in their local was making hearts beat faster.
Eric Bicknell, aged 76, of South Street said: "Johnny Depp - who's he?
"I don't think it's anything but some people get worked up one way or the other. Some people think he's a good actor."
Postman Stan Monaghan said: "He's got a job to do, hasn't he? They'll be pretty unobtrusive because they're filming at the house. But it doesn't make any difference to the number of letters I deliver.
"He's a good actor. I've enjoyed quite a few of his films."
On my return visit on Thursday, security was tight and anyone wanting to go into the grounds had to buy a £2 pass from the post office.
Blinds were in place and caravans and lorries in the car park were the only other signs of activity, apart from a location manager who viewed my camera with great suspicion.
He told me "the paparazzi" would pay thousands for a picture, such was the interest in their star. It seemed he was not even allowed to mention Depp's name. He insisted on escorting me to the exit, possibly fearing I would return to make my fortune.
But on Friday, two A-level drama pupils from The Gryphon School in Sherborne had better luck.
Clara Edmonds and Patrick Stainer paid their £2 and were walking up the main drive when they noticed filming under way. Extras pointed out the man himself, a mere 50 metres away, and they watched as a stagecoach drove down the specially muddied drive and he ran towards it.
Clara, 17, of High Street, West Coker, said: "He is a good-looking guy and, being a ball of raging teenage hormones, if I had met him I would probably have been struck dumb, so it is probably better I didn't meet him.
"I was far more interested in the filming, as it is what I want to do for the rest of my life."
The film's other stars are Oscar nominee Samantha Morton, Bond girl Rosamund Pike and John Malkovich, who also co-produces.
Depp plays 18th Century poet, womaniser and soldier John Wilmot, second Earl of Rochester, whose debauched life style led him to an early death from syphilis at the age of 33.
The movie's future came under threat when Chancellor Gordon Brown blocked the tax benefits for film investors. Now part of it will have to be shot in the Isle of Man.
Filming was expected to move to Wells yesterday.
More images are on our Libertine pages.
Interviews with Johnny DeppKing of Quirk
Johnny Depp on his unconventional role choices, France and Brian Wilson
By Vanessa Sibbald
Zap2it.comAfter playing a pirate captain in the Caribbean and a blinded, pistol-wielding rogue CIA agent in "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," Johnny Depp takes a quieter turn in his next film "Secret Window," a film written and directed by "Panic Room" screenwriter David Koepp based on the Stephen King novella, "Secret Window, Secret Garden." In many ways it's a one-actor story, mostly concentrated on an isolated writer with a little too much time on his hands.
In the film, Depp plays successful writer Mort Rainey who secludes himself in an isolated cabin by a lake after he discovers that his wife (Maria Bello) has cheated on him. Yet, far from finding solace in his solitude, Mort is pestered by a malicious Mississippi dairy farmer (John Turturro) who claims that Mort pilfered his manuscript for one of his stories.
Koepp says he specifically went after Depp to play the part, which he had written with the actor in mind, traveling across the globe while Depp was shooting "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" in order to woo him.
"He's one of our greatest actors, so inventive every time," says the director, praising Depp's "spontaneous and often unconventional choices" in his career.
Yet it may surprise some that Depp doesn't see his choices as unconventional at all. "They're not unconventional for me. For me they're the only way to go," he says, adding that he's never gone after a specific role, but rather just taken on projects as they've come to him.
"I've never been ambitious in a sense where I went out and chased after a project. I would never go out and do this song and dance and 'Here's why I'm great for your movie' or anything. I've never done that," he says. 'Everything just kind of happened for me the way it needed to happen."
In the case of "Secret Window," Depp, who says he's a fan of thrillers and Stephen King, found himself intrigued by Mort Rainey, who is captured in the film during a rather desperate time in his life; depressed by an impending divorce, Mort is also suffering a whopping case of writer's block.
"I liked the character, there was something kind of passive-aggressive about him that I liked very much -- a quiet, sort of subdued guy, probably a guy who was too smart for his own good, cynical, you know, not very trustful of others," Depp says. "And I liked the reclusive quality of this guy who'd just do the minimum of what he had to do. And a guy who probably didn't look in the mirror very much ever -- he never realized that he had the bed head all the time."
Depp isn't a stranger to portraying writers on film. Having already played author Hunter S. Thompson in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," he is also playing "Peter Pan" creator J.M. Barrie in "Neverland," and poet John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester, in "The Libertine," which starts shooting in March.
"Yeah, I guess I'm going through a writers phrase," he laughs. "I've always admired writers, I've always admired anyone who could bring their thoughts and motions out onto a page and be able to actually allow the masses to read it, be okay with that."
Perhaps part of his admiration stems from the fact that he also writes -- but don't expect to see him switching careers any time soon.
"I've always written, but again it's always been pretty much for myself," he says. "I enjoy doing it, but I never really thought about letting other people read it, you know? That's always been a little strange. And the printed page is a powerful piece of machinery. People think that I live in France full-time, that I've abandoned America and all that -- which is not the case at all -- just purely because the media said so, because that's the sound bite that they picked up on."
Just as musician Keith Richards helped inspire Depp's take on Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates," and the Pogues singer Shane MacGowan informed his role in "Chocolat," the actor once again betrayed his musical roots by finding a musician to help him grasp onto the role.
"['Secret Window'] reminded me of the stories I heard and read about Brian Wilson in the '70s, when he just locked himself in the house and didn't leave," Depp says. "It made sense in a way, for a writer whose life's blood is solitude, really. Of course the guy took it to another level altogether."
Sunday, March 14, 2004
Smiling all the way to the bank
By BARRY KOLTNOW
The Orange County Register
Johnny Depp is in a confessional mood.
He has just confessed that he didn't know what a movie star looked like until he saw "Gone With the Wind."
"My 4-year-old daughter (Lily-Rose) watches the movie a lot, and I'm embarrassed to say that I had never seen it. So, when I stumbled into a room recently and found her watching it, I sat down and watched it with her.
"When it was over, I remember saying to myself, 'Boy, that Clark Gable is a real movie star.'"
Of course, there are those who would suggest that Depp look in a mirror if he wants to see a real movie star. But he would dismiss such a notion as utter nonsense.
Even after "Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl" passed the magical $300 million mark at the box office, anointing him as the new king of Hollywood, and his peers seconded the nomination with a Screen Actors Guild award and an Oscar nod, the guy just doesn't get it.
The 40-year-old actor, who successfully battled a deadly disease called teen heartthrob-itis that threatened to strike him down during his stay on the TV show "21 Jump Street," and then fought off the possibility of commercial success in a 13-year, unbroken string of oddball film roles, is a movie star in spite of himself.
"I never wanted to build a movie-star career," Depp explained between puffs of an ever-present European cigarette in the presidential suite of the St. Regis hotel in Century City. "I don't even understand that kind of thinking.
"If anything, mine has been a career of failures. I think I'm getting all this attention right now because people feel sorry for me. I'm an underdog. Other actors look at me and think, 'That poor (guy) is still hacking away at it.'"
Depp, whose latest film, the Stephen King-inspired thriller "Secret Window," opened Friday, flew to the United States from his home in the south of France to attend the Academy Awards and to promote the new film, in which he plays a tormented author living in an isolated cabin fighting writer's block and assorted demons.
Filming on "Secret Window" began the week before "Pirates of the Caribbean" opened, and the casting process began long before that.
Director David Koepp said he had to persuade the studio to hire Depp, who has a history of appearing in underperforming movies.
"I really had to work to get him into the movie," Koepp said. "Johnny's always been respected as a fine actor, but he's never been known as a person who opens movies.
"Of course, once 'Pirates' opened huge, we became the studio's favorite movie. Suddenly, we didn't cost that much to make, and we had a big movie star."
Koepp, who wrote the screenplay for "Secret Window" based on a King novella, said he broke his own rule against assigning a particular actor's face to a character during the writing process.
"Johnny sort of popped into my head midway through the first draft, and he wouldn't leave. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.
"In the first half of the movie, this guy is in the house not doing anything. I really needed an actor who's inventive and who will make enough idiosyncratic choices to make it entertaining to watch. And let's face it, Johnny Depp could make a nap interesting to watch."
A PIRATE'S HAULDepp dropped out of school at 17 in his native Kentucky to pursue a career as a rock guitarist. He never quite made it to the point of making a living at it, although he now owns a rock club, the Viper Room on the Sunset Strip.
He got into acting after his band moved to Los Angeles and broke up. He made his first film appearance in 1984's "Nightmare on Elm Street" and later was cast in "Platoon," just before he began his three-year stint on "21 Jump Street."
He clearly hated the attention he was receiving in the media, and he seemed to go out of his way to mock his heartthrob status by starring in the John Waters' film "Cry-Baby." When he left the TV show for good, he hooked up with director Tim Burton in the admired but strange "Edward Scissorhands," the first of several collaborations with the offbeat filmmaker ("Ed Wood" and "Sleepy Hollow" would follow).
His choice of roles has been questioned by others, but never by Depp himself.
"I have no regrets," he said. "I am glad I did every single role.
"My career was never about commercial success," he added. "I was in it for the long haul. I decided early on to be patient and wait for the roles that interested me, not the roles that would advance my career. I never wanted to be remembered for being a star.
"It wasn't that I was rejecting Hollywood; I was rejecting the idea of being a product."
So, when he met with a Disney executive to discuss the possibility of being a voice in an animated movie, he said, he was not trying to make a smart career move.
"I only wanted to be in a movie that my kids could see. Then he mentioned that they were considering a movie based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and I said I was in. There was no screenplay, no director, nothing. For some unknown reason, I just said I was in."
Depp, dressed in blue jeans, a long-sleeve blue shirt and a wrist-full of silver jewelry, said he had no idea that "Pirates" was a big-budget movie with strong commercial aspirations. That might have dissuaded him from taking the role.
"I thought it was a small movie until they showed us an early trailer while we were still filming in the Caribbean. All of a sudden, I realized I was in a big Disney film. It looked enormous."
Playing his pirate as a slightly effeminate, slightly inebriated version of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards (a friend of Depp's who seems to have taken the impersonation good-naturedly), Depp unexpectedly found himself in unfamiliar territory - a bankable star fresh off a commercial success.
"I had never experienced that before," Depp said with a laugh. "And it's been fun to visit Hollywood and talk to studios as a bankable actor for a change.
"But I've been around long enough to know that one week, you're on the exclusive list of five or 10 guys who can open a movie, and then the next week, you're off the list. It's been a fun ride, and I'm enjoying it for all it's worth."
Depp said that although he's having a ball as a "movie star," he's not taking any of it seriously. And if that sounds like a terribly mature attitude, coming from the former bad boy of Hollywood, chalk it up to his 40th birthday.
It's tough to be an irresponsible bad boy when you're 40 and in a serious relationship, with two children.
"Turning 40 has been great for me," he said. "My 20s were total confusion, and in my 30s, I was constantly trying to figure out who I was. But I like the feeling of my 40s. I like the man that I've become.
"I'm well-rooted into fatherhood now" (he and his live-in girlfriend, French actress and pop singer Vanessa Paradis, have two children), "and I'm not confused anymore. I don't feel I have to numb myself from my responsibilities. I'm even looking forward to getting older.
"Who knows what my 50s will bring? I could be doing a 'Pirates of the Caribbean' TV series."
Review: Creepy 'Window' shows Depp's depth
Stephen King-based film has good performances
By Paul Clinton
CNN Reviewer
Thursday, March 11, 2004 Posted: 2315 GMT (0715 HKT)
Johnny Depp plays a writer stalked by the mysterious John Turturro in "Secret Window."
(CNN) -- It's easy to see why Johnny Depp, hot off his Oscar nomination for "Pirates of the Caribbean," chose "Secret Window" as his next film. His character, Mort Rainey, is in practically every frame of the movie -- and the movie is a great showcase for Depp's well-honed skills.
"Secret Window" is based on a Stephen King novella, "Secret Window, Secret Garden." Rainey is a successful author who is currently going through a messy divorce from his wife, Amy, played by Maria Bello. He's also suffering from a severe case of writer's block.
Holed up in a dirty cabin by a lake, Rainey sleeps away his depression on his living room couch, watched over by his mournful dog.
His idle existence is shattered one day by a knock at his door. Standing there is a mysterious stranger with a laconic drawl and a large black hat. Played by John Turturro, his name is John Shooter, and he accuses Rainey of plagiarizing a story he once wrote.
Despite Rainey's pleas of innocence, Shooter refuses to back down and becomes increasingly hostile, making alarming threats.
After finally seeing a copy of Shooter's story, Rainey is completely freaked out when his finds that the two pieces -- Rainey's is called "Secret Window" -- are extremely similar.
Adding to frustration
Drawn into the middle: Depp's character's ex-wife, played by Maria Bello, and her new boyfriend, played by Timothy Hutton. His soon-to-be ex-wife is drawn into the fray, along with her new boyfriend, played by Timothy Hutton. This, of course, only adds to Rainey's sense of frustration.
In an act of desperation, Rainey turns to a private investigator, played by Charles S. Dutton, to help convince Shooter that Rainey hasn't stolen his story. The violence against Rainey -- and those around him -- soon escalates.
There's one more problem: no one but Rainey has ever seen Shooter, and Rainey must track down the mysterious man in order to convince everyone that Shooter exists.
Screenwriter/director David Koepp, who wrote "Spider-Man" and "Panic Room," has taken King's novella and created a tense drama with some surprising twists and turns.
His ear for dialogue is amazing. The characters sound real and natural. Some of the camera moves are also stunning: one shot comes through a mirror, winds throughout the cabin, and ends up outside in the driveway.
Maintaining the tension
Koepp also has the advantage of being a movie writer making a movie about a writer, so he knew his topic well. He penned the screenplay with Depp in mind, even traveling to the set of "Pirates" to convince the actor to sign on to the project.It pays off: Depp is outstanding as the tormented, sometimes confused and often out-of-control writer. Depp likes his characters to have little quirks, and this time out is no exception -- he's chosen to wear his hair big, bushy, and half-brown and half-blond for this movie.
In fact, as he continually pulls on his locks, his hair becomes a character in its own right. It should get its own billing -- above the title.
Turturro, who has had his share of strange roles, is excellent as Depp's foe in the mind-bending game of cat and mouse. He comes across as almost otherworldly, with an innate sense of menace and violence. Dutton, Hutton and Bello are also good in their supporting roles
But this is Depp's film from beginning to end, and he's fascinating to watch.
Overall, "Secret Window" is a nice ride. It's just spooky enough to keep your attention, the acting is excellent, and the major twist at the end comes from out of the blue.
Johnny Depp based new character on Beach Boy
Johnny Depp used Brian Wilson as a source of inspiration for his latest role in Secret Window.
The actor, who based his Pirates of the Caribbean character on Keith Richards, felt Mort Rainey reminded him of the reclusive Beach Boy.
In the movie, Rainey spends much of his time alone in his isolated cabin in upstate New York wearing only an old bathrobe.
Wilson famously became a recluse shortly after the release of the classic 1966 Pet Sounds album. For eight years, he was said to have worn only a bathrobe and spent much of his time in his bedroom.
Director David Koepp told the New York Post: that he didn't know if the psychological thriller, based on a Stephen King story, would have worked without Depp's attitude to acting.
"He made napping and eating a sandwich interesting activities, and I don't know anyone else who could do that," he said.
Secret Window is released in the US this weekend. Depp is currently in Wales filming The Libertine in which he plays a 17th century poet and pornographer.
Its star raises 'Secret Window'
Johnny Depp's acting genius is the not-so-secret ingredient that fleshes out what could have been an overstretched plot.
By STEVE PERSALL, Times Staff WriterMarch 11, 2004
Anyone who still needs proof of Johnny Depp's acting prowess should see the way he lifts Secret Window from negligible material to a novelty worth checking out. Depp is cagey enough to realize when the right stuff isn't on David Koepp's screenplay pages, so he fills in the considerable gaps with tics and flourishes, creating a thoroughly enjoyable performance in the midst of dreck.Depp plays author Mort Rainey, a disheveled recluse in an upstate New York cabin since he caught his wife Amy (Maria Bello) in bed with another man (Timothy Hutton). Mort is a mess, his hair progressively more disheveled, his bathrobe almost as frayed as his psyche. Now a sinister hick named John Shooter (a miscast John Turturro) is claiming that Mort stole his idea for a short story about a man who murders his wife.
Koepp adapted and directed Secret Garden from a novella by Stephen King. There's usually a good reason why they're called novellas. Shorter and less detailed than novels, the format forces a tough decision on filmmakers: Do they pad the running time with embellishments that may compromise the plot, or do they simply stick to the slim outline and hope for the best?
Koepp chooses the latter, possibly because instincts told him someone like Depp - and how many of those exist, really? - could flesh out drama that occurs chiefly inside the character's mind. Rather than spoiling the plot, let's just say that while taking notes I jotted down the title of a similarly framed movie from a few years ago that predicted the twist of Secret Garden an hour before Koepp reveals it. Even though I knew what was coming, Depp's performance kept me hanging on, wondering what this mischievous artist would do next.
The wonder of Depp is the way he allows viewers into the most private moments of unappealing characters like Mort without any regard for his own ego. Somehow that makes the jerks he plays appealing, as in Blow, Pirates of the Caribbean and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Depp is drop-dead handsome, but isn't compelled to show it off. He's bright, yet doesn't mind playing dumb. And he finds those little moments - the way Mort shakes his hands dry after washing them, or stretches his jaw as if it hurts - that aren't movie-star attractive yet add something special to the character.
I've never seen Depp sleepwalk through any role. He could coast on his "Sexiest Man Alive" title like so many Harry Hamlins and Pierce Brosnans. Depp refuses, creating a conspiracy of sorts with moviegoers who are completely aware that he's "acting" in roles less cool than himself and who love him for it. Jack Nicholson has done it for decades.
Secret Window isn't a particularly good movie. What it is, however, is another chance to see how effortlessly Depp can transform hack material into something approaching art. It's always nice to see America's best actor at work, even if he chooses to live in France.
March 11, 2004
BY: Colin Covert at the Star Tribune
Movie review: Johnny Depp enters the dark heart of Stephen KingThere's a lot of stealing going on in Mort Rainey's life. Mort feels that his wife, Amy, who is divorcing him, stole the house he bought with his work as a mystery writer. Mort's also angry with Ted, Amy's lover, for stealing her affections.
Mort's marital crackup has robbed him of his inspiration and his ability to cope with reality. He wants nothing more than to be left alone in his New England cabin, curled up on the sofa in the fetal position, dreaming in his ratty bathrobe.
Then a menacing stranger calling himself John Shooter appears at Mort's door, accusing him of theft. A hick Southerner with blazing, resentful eyes, he brandishes a manuscript almost identical to a murder story Mort published several years earlier. Mort stole his story, Shooter charges, and unless he makes amends, there'll be hell to pay.
"I'll burn your life and every person in it like a cane field in a high wind," Shooter rasps.
Since "Secret Window" is based on a Stephen King novella and we all know the terrible things that happen to isolated writers in his world, we have reason to worry. Especially when Mort lifts a lumpy-looking tarp to find . . .
Entertaining and effectively creepy, "Secret Window" is a smart take on a favorite King theme. Are creativity and murderous insanity two sides of the same coin?As Mort, Johnny Depp is immensely appealing. He can't seem to catch a break, and everyone can identify with that. He's sort of a slob, he's heartbroken, he's timid, but he's also bitterly funny and feisty in his exchanges with his soon-to-be ex. He tells Amy he'd like to know Ted better since "we've been to a lot of the same places."
As usual, Depp packs his scene-stealing performance with loads of quirky physical business, unself-consciously cracking his jaw, juggling a Slinky to help him think and muttering to himself like a hermit.Yet there's always a quality of mystery to Depp's acting, as if his characters are holding us at arm's length. Blindingly illuminated flashbacks show Mort blowing his stack when he discovers Amy and Ted in a motel. Push this guy with the nerd glasses and unkempt hair too far, and he might push back real hard.
John Turturro brings a beady-eyed fanaticism to Shooter, a farmer with a troubling knack of seeing household tools as potential murder weapons. But is he a lone nut or is Ted (Timothy Hutton) orchestrating the confrontation as leverage to get Mort to sign his six-month-old divorce papers?
David Koepp, coming off a string of successes as a director ("Stir of Echoes") and writer ("Panic Room," "Spider-Man"), extends his impressive run here by not tipping his hand too soon. Even if you suspect the general outlines of the piece, there are surprises all the way to the finish line.
Koepp's ominous compositions and taut editing can make the smallest details -- spring rain on a calm lake, a glass of water set too close to the counter's edge -- feel like portents of doom. Oh, but then we're imagining things, aren't we?
Are we? The pleasure of "Secret Window" is that it's so discreet about disclosing the story's evil heart. Is it supernatural? Psychological? The feeling is mysterious without being murky.
Meanwhile our minds race ahead. Mort -- doesn't that mean something in French? Shooter -- what does that sound like?
Like such classic thrillers as "The Haunting" and "The Birds," this film gives us a leisurely stroll with its characters, encouraging us to identify with them before dragging them through hell. Hitchcock would have loved it.
Colin Covert is at
ccovert@startribune.com.
Happiness finds Johnny Depp
By Claudia Puig, USA TODAYHe watches hours of cartoons with his children, has taken up running and is working on his French to better communicate with his companion's parents.
Longtime smoker Depp is cutting back on the cigs and picking up his mileage — he's started running.
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