Johnny Depp Only Wants 'Potentially Disastrous' Scripts That Make Studios 'Scared'
Johnny Depp is a worldwide superstar, and he can afford to pick his own roles — but apparently, the criteria the actor uses for that are more than a little…unorthodox.
Of all the male Hollywood movie stars, if you were randomly asked to name five, we’re pretty sure your shortlist would’ve included Johnny Depp. One of the most popular and beloved actors in the world, Depp’s been going at it for decades now, and each time, he managed to bring unique and memorable characters to life.
No one has played as many thoroughly insane and outlandish characters as Johnny Depp, and the actor takes special pride in that. From messing with Alice or random kids in a chocolate factory to having scissors for hands or rum for blood, he’s done it all — and with every transformation, Depp managed to captivate his audience.
The peculiar choice of characters this outstanding actor has is not a secret for anyone at this point, but most people don’t know that Johnny Depp doesn’t pick insane roles specifically. Sure, he loves himself a bizarre performance, but being funny in the head is not the primary criteria for Depp when he chooses his next role.
Instead, the actor simply chases unpredictable, experimental characters that will be fun to play and will be able to surprise him as a performer. That’s what really gets Johnny Depp going, and he can’t be bothered to play anything lesser. Oh, and also, he enjoys scaring the studios with his performances, so there’s that, too.
“You wanna be surprised by something. You look for something that’s not necessarily based on something that’s all-together, formulaic… If I don’t try something that could be potentially disastrous, then I feel like I’m not doing enough of the work. I prefer it when the studios are scared,” the actor explained on the Zurich Film Festival Podcast.
Intentionally scaring the studios sounds exactly like something Johnny Depp would do, and his entire history with Warner Bros. only proves it. But experiments and a unique mindset are more important for the actor… It just so happened that by far, clinically insane characters have been meeting his requirements the best.
Purely a coincidence, that.
Source: Zurich Film Festival Podcast