Johnny Depp's Dream Movie Once Ran Out Of Money Mid-Filming: 'That Sucked'
Johnny Depp was supposed to co-star with this iconic actor and was very much excited for it… But halfway through, the financing got cut off, and Depp was pissed.
As much of a bummer as it is, Hollywood isn’t exactly about making art; it’s more about making money, with a few notable exceptions. It doesn’t matter how great an idea for a movie or its cast are — when a stakeholder decides you won’t hit the bank, they’ll send you home right away, cutting off the financing at any stage of the project.
Johnny Depp learned it the hard way in 1995, and he was pissed.
Divine Rapture Was Johnny Depp’s Dream Movie
In 1995, director Thom Eberhardt started shooting his next big thing: Divine Rapture. Set and filmed in rural Ireland, American investors didn’t understand this movie, so it had to be done on a small budget — but it had great ambitions and an amazing star-studded cast of Marlon Brando, Debra Winger, and, of course, Johnny Depp.
Divine Rapture followed (or rather, was supposed to follow) a peculiar incident in an Irish village. At a local woman’s funeral, she “rose from the dead” and became regarded as a saint — only that she simply had a rare medical condition that led her neighbors to believe that she died. Depp’s character, an investigative journalist, headed to the village to learn more about the story of the local “Saint Mary.”
Johnny Depp was excited to be part of the project. Working with Brando was one part of its appeal, but Depp has also always been known for his knack for small and weird movies, and Divine Rapture was definitely one of them. The star actor was itching to portray a journalist, one of his favorite archetypes, and he even got to do it… For two weeks.
Divine Rapture Ran Out of Money Midway
After just two weeks of filming, it became clear that the movie couldn’t proceed, and it was canceled. The budget wasn’t enough, and no one wanted to invest in Divine Rapture due to it being considered “a foreign movie.” The actors were simply sent home, and Depp was frustrated.
“That sucked. One minute we’re filming, the next minute there’s no money. It was like being in the middle of sex, right at the peak, and a guy walks in with a gun [and says], ‘Stop it now.’ That’s when you feel shitty, because you remember it’s the movie business, based on money,” the actor shared with Playboy in 1996.
Divine Rapture had all the makings of a small movie becoming a cult classic, but the movie industry was ruthless to it. Without the backing of big producers who weren’t willing to invest in it, it quickly died off, devoiding us of the pleasure of watching a unique Johnny Depp, Marlon Brando, and Debra Winger comedy set in Ireland.
Source: Playboy via The Johnny Depp Zone