The 1990s TV series Johnny Depp called “one of the most brilliant things in any world”
“That’s how I got the job.”
Johnny Depp
Often coupled with frequent collaborator Tim Burton, Johnny Depp is a cult icon like no other, becoming a Hollywood pin-up star when he shot to prominence in the 1990s. Enjoying a flourishing career, Depp has had the chance to work with everyone from arthouse names like Oliver Stone, John Waters and Jim Jarmusch, as well as the mainstream names Gore Verbinski, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.
It all started back in the mid-1980s when he collaborated with the iconic horror director Wes Craven, appearing in his influential slasher flick ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ which sparked the arrival of genre icon Freddy Krueger who would go on to become as known as Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. Further success followed for Depp when he was called up to join the ensemble cast of 1986s’ Platoon’, appearing with Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe and Forest Whitaker.
Still only young, it wasn’t until the ’90s when Depp would truly see his star potential, appearing in the Tim Burton movie ‘Edward Scissorhands’ in 1990 with Winona Ryder. Three years later, he would appear with Leonardo DiCaprio and Juliette Lewis in ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’, before re-teaming with Burton for Ed Wood, joining a cast that included Bill Murray, Patricia Arquette and Sarah Jessica Parker.
In 1997 he would star with Al Pacino in Donnie Brasco, and one year later, he would work with Tobey Maguire in the Hunter S. Thompson-inspired movie ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’, but riches awaited him in the 21st century.
Far and away, his most iconic role came in 2003 when he played Jack Sparrow in the action movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’, a film that would spark a long-running franchise. Throughout his time in the series, he has worked with Kiera Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Paul McCartney, Bill Nighy, Penélope Cruz, Stephen Graham and Kaya Scodelario.
Still recovering from a damaging defamation lawsuit with his ex-wife Amber Heard, Depp remains an influential Hollywood figure and a beloved icon of 21st-century cinema.
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The classic 1973 song that turned Johnny Depp into a musician: “How fucking cool”
One of the finest 1970s radio rock anthems.
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The star couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
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A mid-2010s mob cracker.
The drunken night out that cost Tom Hiddleston his first shot at stardom: “You’ve got to learn one way or the other”
He couldn’t remember his lines.
The co-star Johnny Depp couldn’t bear working with: “I don’t give a shit what he’s doing”
This co-star’s antics caused lots of Depp’s material to be cut from the film.
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Could have all worked out very differently.