Johnny Depp
Interview By: Ray Dademo
*Click Here For Another Interview with Johnny Depp
*Click Here For Another Interview with Johnny Depp
The release of The Corpse Bride marks Johnny Depp's fifth collaboration with director, Tim Burton; a relationship that has lasted fifteen years. Over the course of the last decade, both men have seen their careers take drastic turns, each with his share of ups and downs.
"I've noticed a bit of a change," Depp agrees. "And a change in the attitude of the upper
echelon of the industry. For example, every time that Tim wanted to cast me in
one of his films, he had to fight like a bastard with the studio. And he was telling
me today, the Warner Bros people came to see him in London and said, 'Let's talk
about cast.' And they said [immediately], 'What do you think of Johnny'' And Tim
said he was like, 'Okay!' The fact that they brought it up was pretty astonishing
to him."
The fact of the matter is this: Depp is not the same actor he was fifteen years ago. Thanks
in part to his frequent collaborations with Burton -- not to mention the three
hundred million-plus gross of Pirates of the Caribbean and two consecutive Oscar
nominations -- Depp found himself bankable, for the first time.
"I've learned to condition myself to not have any expectations, as far as box office
or results to that degree. Because, as you all know, that kind of thing escaped
me for many, many years. It's a relatively new experience to have more than a few
people see my films. It's very exciting."
Riding this crest of newfound popularity has not changed Depp's attitudes toward the work itself. Not even the smash success of this summer's Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory forced him to bat an eyelash. He is an actor's actor and seeks to concern
himself with his character alone. "I literally -- two or three weeks ago -- called
my agent Tracy and said, 'Is Charlie doing okay'' And she said, 'Yeah. It looks
like its going to cross the 200 million mark, domestically.' And I said, 'Is that
good'''
Aside from finding himself newly bankable, Depp also found himself at the center of more family-friendly fare, like Charlie. His children, Lily Rose, 6, and Jack, 3,
were now able to watch their father onscreen. "They came to visit me on the set
and they walked into my trailer and there I was decked out with the top hat and
Prince Valiant hairdo and cha-cha heels and the eyes and the teeth and the rubber
gloves. And they just kind of froze, stared at me for what felt like an eternity. Then they got over it and wanted to try everything on. I was so scared when they went to see Charlie, so in fear that they were not going to react well to the film.
My son, Jack, walked into the house and quoted Wonka and said 'You're really weird.
As a matter of fact, it was during Charlie that filming began on Corpse Bride -- an exhaustive process that caused Depp more than a little anxiety. "I was somewhat remiss. I was so focused on the Wonka character. In my mind, I thought, 'We'll
do Corpse Bride in two or three months.' Then one day on the set, Tim said, 'We
can go and record some Corpse Bride,'' and I said, 'I have no character.' So,
I just sat down on the set and that's how I found the guy."
Separating himself from Wonka to create Victor Van Dort, Corpse Bride's anemic, finicky protagonist, proved easier than Depp thought. "When I arrived to do the recording, Victor was standing there. So, I got to meet the puppets. Really inspiring."
Nevertheless, it was the "so helpful" direction of Tim Burton that guided Depp's voice-over performance. "I see myself as a very lucky boy who's been drafted to come along
for the ride. The fact that he's chosen these five times to interpret these characters
is either great luck or a huge mistake on his part. [Victor is] a character who
isn't so far away from characters I've played in the past for Tim. Edward Scissorhands
...outsider, bumbling, deeply insecure, nervous..."
Still, no one could accuse Depp of revisiting the same material, over and over. ("I'm
kind of interested in exploring one area and saying 'That's territory covered,
where can you go next'') Quite contrarily, he makes sure not to overextend himself, following advice given to him by his mentor and friend, Marlon Brando.
"[I hear] the voice of Marlon, reverberating in my ear. 'How many films do you do a year
',' [Marlon said.] I said, 'I don't know. Two or three.' And he said, 'You have
to watch yourself. We only have so many faces in our pockets.' He really was right. One of the joys of the gig is that you get to observe people. You find these interesting
traits and store them up for later."
If Johnny Depp is returning to Sleepy Hollow territory it is solely for the safety and exhilaration of working with Burton. "Working with Tim is like going home, to a
place that is very comfortable. Even though you have to be prepared to explore."
In that case, Johnny, will we be seeing you onscreen again, in another Burton flick'
"It's all up to him. If he gives me the job."
RayDademo@TheCinemaSource.com
