Johnny Depp: Everything you need to know

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp

Johnny Depp Born on June 9, 1963, John Christopher Depp II is an American actor and musician. In addition to being nominated for three Academy Awards and two BAFTA awards, he has received other honours, including a Golden Globe Award. He is one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars because to his films, which have made over $8 billion worldwide and feature him frequently as oddball characters.

Before going into movies, Depp started out as a musician, playing in a number of amateur rock bands. Before becoming well-known as a teen idol on the television series 21 Jump Street (1987–1990), he made his feature film debut in the horror picture A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and had an appearance in Platoon (1986). His roles included Cry-Baby (1990), What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Benny and Joon (1993), Dead Man (1995), Donnie Brasco (1997), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), and The Ninth Gate (1999) in independent films directed by auteurs. In 1997, he directed his first independent neo-western film, titled The Brave. Including in Edward Scissorhands (1990), Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), and Alice in Wonderland (2010), Depp has regularly worked with director Tim Burton.

As Captain Jack Sparrow in the swashbuckling Pirates of the Caribbean film series, Depp became incredibly famous all over the world (2003–2017). His roles in Chocolat (2000) and Finding Neverland (2004) won him praise as well. He has also starred in the following films: Into the Woods (2014), Black Mass (2015), From Hell (2001), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), Secret Window (2004), Public Enemies (2009), The Tourist (2010), The Lone Ranger (2013), and Murder on the Orient Express (2017). In the Wizarding World films Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), he played Gellert Grindelwald. His voice acting credits include Sherlock Gnomes (2018), Rango (2011), and Corpse Bride (2005).

In the 2010s, Depp started making films with his firm Infinitum Nihil. He was chosen People’s Sexiest Man Alive twice, in 2003 and 2009.[6] In 1999, Depp was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He later joined Alice Cooper and Joe Perry to form the rock band Hollywood Vampires. Depp was married to French singer Vanessa Paradis from 1998 to 2012; the couple had two children together, one of which is the actress Lily-Rose Depp. Depp was married to actress Amber Heard from 2015 till 2017. Due to allegations of abuse against one another and their involvement in two well-publicized defamation cases—the Depp v. NGN and the Depp v. Heard trials—their divorce attracted media attention.[7][8]

Imran Khan

Johnny Depp Early life

Childhood
On June 9, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky, Depp was born as the youngest of four children to civil engineer John Christopher Depp and waitress Betty Sue Depp (née Wells; later Palmer)[12]. Depp’s family moved around a lot as he was growing up, finally settling in Miramar, Florida, in 1970.[15] His parents separated when he was fifteen years old in 1978,[15][16], and his mother then wed Robert Palmer, whom Depp has referred to as “an inspiration”.[17][18]

When Depp was twelve years old, his mother got him a guitar, and he started performing in different bands.[15] In 1979, at the age of sixteen, he left Miramar High School to pursue his career as a rock musician. Two weeks later, Johnny tried to return to school, but the headmaster advised him to pursue his passion of being a musician.[15] Depp started performing with a band named The Kids in 1980.

The band changed its name to Six Gun Method and relocated to Los Angeles in search of a record deal after seeing some local success in Florida. Apart from the band, Depp had a number of odd jobs, including telemarketing. Depp wed makeup artist Lori Anne Allison in December 1983.[10] Allison is the sister of the bassist and singer in his band. Depp started working with the band Rock City Angels after the Kids broke up before landing a record deal in 1984.[19] He co-wrote the song “Mary,” which was featured on the group’s first Geffen Records album Young Man’s Blues.[20] Depp and Allison got divorced in 1985.[10]

His surname comes from a French Huguenot immigrant named Pierre Dieppe, who settled in Virginia around 1700. Depp is primarily of English descent, with some French, German, Irish, and African American ancestry.[21][22] Elizabeth Key Grinstead, one of the first African Americans in the North American colonies to sue for her freedom and win, is an eighth great-grandmother. Depp acknowledged having Native American ancestry in interviews from 2002 and 2011, saying, “I guess I have some Native American somewhere down the line. My great-grandmother was quite a bit Native American. She grew up Cherokee or maybe Creek Indian. Makes sense in terms of coming from Kentucky, which is rife with Cherokee and Creek Indian”.[23]

Indian Country Today questioned Depp’s claims, stating that he had never sought out information about his heritage or been acknowledged as a member of the Cherokee Nation.[24] As a result, the Native American community criticised Deep, calling him “a non-Indian”[24][25] and a pretendian.[26][27][28] Depp’s decision to play the Native American character Tonto in The Lone Ranger as well as his choice to name his rock band “Tonto’s Giant Nuts” were also criticized.[29][30][31][32] Depp was formally adopted as an honorary son by LaDonna Harris, a member of the Comanche Nation.[33][34]

Johnny Depp Career

Early roles and 21 Jump Street, 1984–1989

Depp greeted President Reagan in 1988 during a Nancy Reagan Drug Abuse Fund fundraiser held at the White House.
At the age of 20, Depp relocated to Los Angeles together with his band. Following the band’s breakup, Depp’s ex-wife Lori Ann Allison introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage.[15] After they became friends over drinks, Cage encouraged Depp to pursue acting.[35] Depp had been interested in acting ever since watching Rebel Without a Cause and reading a biography of James Dean.[36] Cage assisted Depp in getting an audition with Wes Craven for A Nightmare on Elm Street; despite having no prior acting experience, Depp claimed he “ended up acting by accident”.[37][38] Possibly due in part to his attraction to Craven’s daughter,[37] Depp was cast as the main character’s boyfriend and one of Freddy Krueger’s victims.]

Despite his statement that he “didn’t have any desire to be an actor,” Depp kept getting roles in movies, earning enough money to pay for some expenses that his music career failed to pay for.[37] Depp’s producer overruled the director’s decision to cast him in the lead role of the 1986 skating drama Thrashin’, so Depp ended up in a small supporting role as a Vietnamese-speaking private in Oliver Stone’s 1986 Vietnam War drama Platoon. When he appeared in the 1987 Fox television series 21 Jump Street as an undercover police officer in a high school operation, he rose to fame as a teen idol in the late 1980s.[15] He took the job in order to collaborate with the actor Frederic Forrest, who served as an inspiration to him. Depp said that the series “forced [him] into the role of product” despite his success.[41]

1990–2002: Independent films and early collaborations with Tim Burton

Disillusioned by his experiences as a teenage idol in 21 Jump Street, Depp started accepting parts that he found more intriguing instead of ones he believed would do well at the box office. In 1990, he made his feature debut in John Waters’s musical comedy Cry-Baby, which was set in the 1950s. Despite not being a box office hit when it was first released,[43] it has now become a cult classic.[44] In 1990, Depp starred as the lead in Tim Burton’s romantic fantasy film Edward Scissorhands, which starred Winona Ryder and Dianne Wiest. With a $53 million domestic gross, the film was a commercial and critical success.[45] Depp studied how to elicit sympathy without dialogue by watching a lot of Charlie Chaplin films in preparation for the role.[46] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone praised Depp’s performance, calling it “a terrific performance that ‘artfully expresses the fierce longing in gentle Edward.” Rita Kempley of The Washington Post said that he “brings the eloquence of the silent era to this part of few words, saying it all through bright black eyes and the tremulous care with which he holds his horror-movie hands.”[48] Depp received his first Golden Globe nomination for the movie. Because of this, a species of extinct arthropod known as Kootenichela deppi—the Latin word for claws or scissors—was named in Depp’s honour.

Depp during the Cannes Film Festival in 1992
With the exception of a brief appearance in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), the sixth entry in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series, Depp did not have any film releases in the next two years. In 1993, he had three movie appearances. He portrayed an eccentric and uneducated silent film enthusiast who befriends a mentally ill woman and her brother in the romantic comedy Benny and Joon, which went on to become a sleeper smash. According to Janet Maslin of The New York Times, Depp “may look nothing like Buster Keaton, but there are times when he genuinely seems to become the Great Stone Face, bringing Keaton’s mannerisms sweetly and magically to life” [49]. Depp was nominated for a second Golden Globe for the role. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, a drama about a dysfunctional family that costarred Leonardo DiCaprio and Juliette Lewis, was his second 1993 release. It was directed by Lasse Hallström. Though it did not do well commercially, it was well received by critics.[50] Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote that “Depp manages to command centre screen with a greatly affable, appealing characterization” in spite of the fact that most of the reviews concentrated on DiCaprio, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance.[51] Depp’s last 1993 release was Emir Kusturica’s surrealist comedy-drama Arizona Dream, which opened to positive reviews and won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

Reunited with Burton, Depp played the lead in Ed Wood (1994), a historical picture about one of the worst film directors in history. Although it did not recoup its production costs, critics praised Ed Wood, with Maslin noting that Depp had “proved himself as an established, certified great actor” and “captured all the can-do optimism that kept Ed Wood going, thanks to an extremely funny ability to look at the silver lining of any cloud.”[53] Depp later stated that he was depressed about films and filmmaking at the time, but that “within 10 minutes of hearing about the project, I was committed.”[52] He found that the role gave him a “chance to stretch out and have some fun” and that working with Landau, who played Bela Lugosi, “rejuvenated my love for acting.”

Jim Jarmusch and Johnny Depp during the 1995 Cannes Film Festival
The following year, Depp had three movie roles. In the movie office success Don Juan DeMarco, he portrayed a man who thinks he is the world’s best lover, Don Juan, opposite Marlon Brando. He starred in Jim Jarmusch’s all-black-and-white Western Dead Man, which received mixed reviews from critics and was not a commercial success. Depp also as an accountant in the critically acclaimed but financially unsuccessful Nick of Time, who gets orders to kill a politician in order to free his kidnapped daughter.

Starring in Mike Newell’s criminal drama Donnie Brasco in 1997 were Johnny Depp and Al Pacino. In the film, Johnny Depp portrayed Joseph D. Pistone, an FBI undercover agent who poses as Donnie Brasco in order to enter the Mafia in New York City. Depp spent time getting ready with Pistone, whose memoirs served as the basis for the movie. One of Depp’s best roles came in Donnie Brasco, which was both critically and commercially successful.[54][55] Depp also made his directing and screenwriting debut with The Brave in 1997. In it, he played a lowly Native American who, upon receiving a snuff film proposal from a wealthy guy (Marlon Brando), agrees to perform the part in exchange for financial support for his family. The Brave received mostly negative reviews when it debuted at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. Variety called it “a turgid and unbelievable neo-western,”[57] while Time Out stated that “the direction has two fatal flaws: it’s both tediously slow and hugely narcissistic as the camera focuses on Depp’s bandana’d head and rippling torso.”[58] Depp decided not to release The Brave in the United States as a result of the negative reviews.

Hunter S. Thompson was a friend and admirer of Depp’s. He portrayed Thompson’s alter ego Raoul Duke in Terry Gilliam’s 1998 film adaptation of Thompson’s pseudo-biographical novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.[a] The film was critically panned and did not do well at the box office. Later that year, Depp made a brief appearance in Mika Kaurismäki’s L.A. Without a Map (1998).

In 1999, Depp acted in three motion pictures. The first was the science fiction thriller The Astronaut’s Wife, which didn’t do well at the box office or with critics. Charlize Theron costarred in it. In the second, John Cusack played an antiquarian book dealer who gets caught up in a mystery in Roman Polanski’s The Ninth Gate. Although it garnered mixed reviews, viewers found it to be rather more successful. The third was Burton’s version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, in which Christopher Walken and Christina Ricci were paired with Depp as Ichabod Crane. Depp claimed he “always thought of Ichabod as a very delicate, fragile person who was maybe a little too in touch with his feminine side, like a frightened little girl”[65][66]. Sleepy Hollow was a critical and commercial success. Depp drew inspiration for his performance from Angela Lansbury, Roddy McDowall, and Basil Rathbone.

The Man Who Cried (2000), a British-French movie directed by Sally Potter and starring Depp as a Roma horseman opposite Christina Ricci, Cate Blanchett, and John Turturro, was Depp’s first release of the new millennium. It did not receive critical acclaim. Prior to Night Falls (2000), Depp appeared in Julian Schnabel’s critically praised film in a supporting capacity. Hallström’s critically and commercially acclaimed Chocolat, in which he portrayed a Roma man and Juliette Binoche’s love interest, was his last picture of 2000. Both of Depp’s subsequent roles were inspired by historical figures. He played George Jung, a cocaine smuggler who was a member of the Medellín Cartel in the 1980s, in the 2001 film Blow. In the comic book adaption From Hell (2001), Depp played inspector Frederick Abberline, who looked into the Jack the Ripper killings in 1880s London. The film did poorly at the box office[67] and had mixed reviews. Although it was only a minor monetary success, the movie also garnered mixed reviews [70, 71].

2003–2011: Pirates of the Caribbean and box office success

Depp dressed as the pirate Captain Jack Sparrow. This photo of him was taken in 2015 on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
In 2003, Depp starred in the highly successful Walt Disney Pictures adventure film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which achieved great success at the box office.[42] He won an MTV Movie Award, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA nomination for his hilarious portrayal of pirate Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp also received widespread praise for his performance. According to Depp, Sparrow is “definitely a big part of me”[72], and he modelled the character after cartoon skunk Pepé Le Pew and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards[73, 74]. Although studio executives were initially divided about Depp’s portrayal[75], the character quickly won over fans.[42] In his other 2003 release, the action film Once Upon a Time in Mexico directed by Robert Rodriguez, Depp portrayed a dishonest CIA agent. It was a moderate box office success, earning an average to good rating[76], with praise especially going to Depp’s performance.[77][78]

Following that, Depp played a writer who was experiencing writer’s block in the 2004 thriller Secret Window, which was based on a Stephen King short tale. In the British-Australian independent film The Libertine (2004), which was released around the same time, Depp played the seventeenth-century poet and rake, the Earl of Rochester. It was a moderate commercial success but garnered mixed reviews.[79][80]. It was only released in small quantities and got mostly bad reviews. With Finding Neverland, Depp’s third movie of 2004, he received more favourable reviews from reviewers and was nominated for a second Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and a SAG for his portrayal of Scottish novelist J. Barrie, M. In addition, Depp created his own production company, Infinitum Nihil, under Warner Bros., and had a small cameo in the French film Happily Ever After (2004). Images. [81]

As Willy Wonka in Tim Burton’s 2005 rendition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Depp maintained his box office triumph. Additionally, it received positive reviews, and Depp was nominated again for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical.[73][84] After Chocolate Factory, Burton worked on another project, the stop-motion animation Corpse Bride (2005), in which he voiced Victor Van Dort.[85] Depp returned to the role of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates sequels, Dead Man’s Chest (2006) and At World’s End (2007), both of which grossed a lot of money at the box office.[86] He also provided the voice of the character in the video game Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow.[87] A Fandango survey revealed that Depp’s portrayal of Jack Sparrow was the primary reason for many moviegoers to see a Pirates film.

In the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Depp and Burton reteamed for their sixth picture, in which the actor played the murdering barber Sweeney Todd. Depp’s primary inspiration for the part came from Peter Lorre’s 1935 portrayal of a “creepy but sympathetic” surgeon in Mad Love.[89] Depp’s first movie where he had to sing was Sweeney Todd. Rather than appointing a professional vocal coach, he recorded demos with his former bandmate Bruce Witkin to get ready for the part. Both critically and commercially, the movie was a hit. “Depp’s soaring voice makes you wonder what other tricks he’s been hiding,” Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly wrote. “Watching Depp’s barber wield his razors… it’s hard not to be reminded of Edward Scissorhands frantically shaping hedges into animal topiaries 18 years ago… and all of the twisted beauty we would’ve missed out on had [Burton and Depp] never met.”[90] Depp was nominated for a third Academy Award and won the Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy Actor.

Depp during Public Enemies’ 2009 Paris premiere
In Michael Mann’s 1930s crime film Public Enemies (2009), Depp played real-life gangster John Dillinger.[91] The film was commercially successful[92] and received generally positive reviews.[93][94] Roger Ebert wrote in his review, “This Johnny Depp performance is something else. For once an actor playing a gangster does not seem to base his performance on films he has seen. He starts cold. He plays Dillinger as a fact.”[95] Depp collaborated with director Terry Gilliam on his second 2009 film, The original portrayals of the characters by their buddy Heath Ledger, who passed away before the movie was finished, were performed by Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. Matilda, the daughter of Ledger, received the pay of all three actors.[96]

Playing the Mad Hatter opposite Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, and Alan Rickman in Alice in Wonderland (2010), Depp kicked off the 2010s with another Tim Burton collaboration. The film garnered US$1.025 billion at the box office, despite receiving mixed reviews. This made it the second highest-grossing movie of 2010[97] and among the highest-grossing movies ever.[98] Depp’s second release of the year was the romantic thriller The Tourist, in which he starred alongside Angelina Jolie. Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, the movie was commercially successful.[99] Nevertheless, he was nominated for two Golden Globes for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.

Rango, an animated picture in which Depp portrayed the title character, a lizard, was his first release in 2011. It was a huge commercial and critical success.[100][101] Depp’s second movie of the year, On Stranger Tides, the fourth Pirates movie, was also a box office hit. It became the third-highest-grossing movie of 2011.[102] Later in 2011, Depp released the first two films that he and his company, Infinitum Nihil, co-produced. The first featured Johnny Depp and was a film adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s novel The Rum Diary.[103] It was met with mixed reviews and failed to recoup its production costs.[104][105] The company’s second project, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo (2011), received critical acclaim and multiple award nominations but also did poorly at the box office. Depp also had a fleeting appearance in the Jack and Jill movie starring Adam Sandler in 2011.

2012–2020: Career setbacks

2012–2020: Failures in my career
In 2012, Depp was one of the most successful actors in the world, earning US$75 million, according to Guinness World Records.[110] He also made cameo appearances in the feature film adaptation of 21 Jump Street alongside co-stars Peter DeLuise and Holly Robinson.[111] Depp also starred in and co-produced his eighth film with Tim Burton, Dark Shadows (2012), alongside Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Eva Green.[112] The film was based on a 1960s Gothic television soap opera of the same name, which had been one of his childhood favourites. Depp’s star appeal was called into doubt due to the film’s unfavourable reaction in the US.[113]

Depp in 2013 at the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Depp secured a multi-year first-look arrangement with Walt Disney Studios when Infinitum Nihil’s WB pact expired in 2011.[81] The first movie produced under the partnership was The Lone Ranger (2013), in which Depp played Tonto. Disney suffered a US$190 million loss as a result of Depp’s casting as a Native American, which sparked accusations of whitewashing.[115][116][117][118] After making a brief appearance in the indie film Lucky Them (2013), Depp starred as an AI-studying scientist in the science fiction thriller Transcendence (2014), which was another commercial failure and received mostly negative reviews.[119][120][122] Depp’s other roles in 2014 included a small supporting role as The Wolf in the film adaptation of Into the Woods and a more significant role as an eccentric French-Canadian ex-detective in Kevin Smith’s horror-comed comedy Tusk.

Depp starred in two films in 2015 that were made by Infinitum Nihil. His debut role was opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in the comedy-thriller Mortdecai. In addition to his work in films in 2015, Depp was signed by French luxury fashion house Dior as an actor. The first film, Black Mass (2015), was a critical and commercial failure and brought both stars Golden Raspberry nominations.[115][123][124][125] The second film, in which he played Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger, was better received.[126][127] Critics from The Hollywood Reporter and Variety called it one of Depp’s best performances to date,[128][129] and the role earned Depp his third nomination for the Best Actor SAG award.[130] However, the film failed to recover its production costs.[115] Depp also made a cameo appearance in the critically panned London Fields, starring his then-wife Amber Heard.[131][132]

Depp during the 2016 Alice Through the Looking Glass launch
In 2016, Depp made his screen debut in Yoga Hosers, a follow-up to Tusk (2014), where he costarred with his daughter Lily-Rose Depp. Subsequently, in the run-up to the US presidential election, he portrayed billionaire and presidential candidate Donald Trump in the Funny or Die spoof Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal: The Movie. In addition, it was revealed that Depp had been cast in a new franchise role as Dr. Jack Griffin/The Invisible Man in Universal Studios’ planned shared film universe entitled the Dark Universe, a rebooted version of their classic Universal Monsters franchise.[136] Depp also reprised his role as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), the follow-up to Alice in Wonderland. Depp received praise for the role. A.V. Club’s headline read, “Who knew Donald Trump was the comeback role Johnny Depp needed?”[135]. Despite earning two Golden Raspberry nods for Depp, the sequel cost Disney over US$70 million, in contrast to the previous film’s profitability. Additionally, Depp was surreptitiously chosen to portray the role of Gellert Grindelwald, the evil wizard, in a brief cameo in the 2016 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film, the first in the Fantastic Beasts series. The promotional materials omitted his name, and his cameo was finally made public at the conclusion of the movie.[138][139]

The Black Ghiandola, a short film produced by a terminally ill adolescent through the nonprofit Make a Film Foundation, starred Depp alongside other actors and filmmakers in 2017.[140][141][142] Depp also returned to the role of Captain Jack Sparrow in the fifth Pirates movie, Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). Though it did not do as well as earlier releases in the US, Depp was nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards for worst actor and worst screen combo with “his worn-out drunk routine” [143]. Internationally, the film did well at the box office, particularly in China, Japan, and Russia [145]. Depp’s most recent release in 2017 was the Agatha Christie adaptation Murder on the Orient Express, in which he starred with director-star Kenneth Branagh.

In 2018, Depp appeared at the San Diego Comic Con dressed as Gellert Grindelwald.
In the animated film Gnomeo & Juliet: Sherlock Gnomes, released in 2018, Depp provided the voice of the title character, Sherlock Gnomes. Depp received two Golden Raspberry nominations for his acting and his “fast-fading film career”[148], despite the film’s middling commercial success[146][147]. He also starred in two indie films that were both produced by Infinitum Nihil, his production firm. The first was City of Lies, a September 2018 release scheduled to star Depp as LAPD detective Russell Poole, who tries to solve the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. After a crew member filed a lawsuit against Depp for assault, the film was canceled.[149] The second was the comedy-drama Richard Says Goodbye, in which Depp played a professor facing terminal cancer. In October 2018, it made its debut at the Zurich Film Festival. [150] Depp played Grindelwald again in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which was his final release of the year. Fans of the series criticised Depp’s casting because of the accusations of domestic abuse against him.[151][152]

Aside from these professional setbacks, Depp also faced reports that he was no longer associated with Universal’s Dark Universe franchise and that Disney had confirmed they would not be casting him in upcoming Pirates installments.[154][155] Depp’s next films were the 2019 independent dramas Waiting for the Barbarians, which was based on a novel by J.M. In the 2020 film Coetzee and Minamata, he played photographer W. Eugene Smith and which had its world premiere at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival. [156] In November 2020, Depp submitted a resignation from the Fantastic Beasts franchise, citing his loss in a UK libel case against The Sun, which had accused him of domestic abuse. [157][158][159] Mads Mikkelsen took over as Grindelwald. [160] Shortly after, The Hollywood Reporter referred to Depp as “persona non-grata” in the film industry. [161]

2021–present: Return to cinema

Present-day: A return to theatres
City of Lies, which was originally slated for release in 2018, was released in theatres and on streaming services in March 2021.[162][163] That same month, an online petition to bring Depp back to the Pirates franchise, started four months earlier, reached its goal of 500,000 signatures.[164] Depp’s co-star in Pirates, Kevin McNally, also expressed support for Depp’s return to the role.[165] In July 2021, Andrew Levitas, the director of Minamata (2020), accused MGM of attempting to bury the movie due to Depp’s involvement,[166][167][168]. Depp claimed he is being boycotted by the Hollywood industry and called his changed reputation a “absurdity of media mathematics.”[169] Minamata was released in the UK and Ireland in August 2021,[170] and in North America in December 2021.[171] The film received positive reviews.

A number of European film festivals presented honorary awards to Depp, including the Camerimage festival in Poland, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, the San Sebastián International Film Festival in Spain,[182] where Depp was given the Donostia Award.[183] These events were contentious, as several domestic violence organisations condemned the festivals.[184][185] The organisers of the ceremonies issued statements justifying their choice to present Depp, with the San Sebastian Film Festival declaring that “he has not been charged by any authority in any jurisdiction, nor convicted of any form of violence against women.”[189]

September 2021: Depp launched IN.2, a sister company based in London to his production company Infinitum Nihil, and announced that the two companies were launching a new development fund for TV and film projects.[190] Depp also called himself a victim of cancel culture.

Depp during the Cannes Film Festival in 2023
[192][193] Minamata and the animated series Puffins were shot in the nation.[194] President Aleksandar Vučić awarded Depp the Serbian Gold Medal of Merit on February 15, 2022, in recognition of his “outstanding merits in public and cultural activities, especially in the field of film art and the promotion of the Republic of Serbia in the world”.

While waiting for the outcome of his widely reported defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard, Depp made an unexpected appearance on May 29, 2022, at a Jeff Beck concert in Sheffield. He accompanied Beck on guitar through three iconic songs by Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, and John Lennon. Beck invited Depp along on his final UK concert tour. and promoted their album 18 by touring Europe in June and July, the United States in October and November, and August 2022.[195][196][197] He also made a guest appearance at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.

In the French actor-director Maïwenn’s historical drama Jeanne du Barry (2022), Depp portrayed King Louis XV. [199] The film follows the tale of Madame du Barry, a poor seamstress who climbs the royal hierarchy to become Louis XV’s official mistress. The French historical drama is being streamed and co-financed by Netflix. This marked Depp’s first French-language acting role. [200] The movie debuted at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and was met with varying reviews from reviewers. While Variety critics gave a mixed response, noting that Depp “seems strangely uncomfortable in the role—adequate but not especially engaged—for his part, delivers his lines in well-turned French, wearing fine powder and a stiff white wig.”[202] Deadline Hollywood praised Depp’s performance, writing, “Maïwenn [the director] leans heavily into Depp’s chops as a visual actor. Depp’s deadpan face throughout is priceless.”

2021–present: Return to cinema

Future undertakings
August 2022 saw Depp directing Modì, a movie about Amedeo Modigliani, which he will also co-produce with Barry Navidi and Al Pacino. [203] The movie is based on a play by Dennis McIntyre, which was previously adapted from a screenplay by Jerzy and Mary Kromolowski for the 2004 film of the same name. [203] Principal photography began in September 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. [204]

Terry Gilliam said in 2024 that he has hired Johnny Depp in The Carnival at the End of Days.[205] Depp will play Satan in the movie, while Jeff Bridges will play God.[206] Jason Momoa and Adam Driver will also be included. The first day of filming is set for January 2025.

Other ventures

Other undertakings
In order to develop projects in which he will act or produce, Depp founded the film production company Infinitum Nihil in 2004.[81] He is the company’s CEO, and his sister Christi Dembrowski is the president.[81][207] The company’s first two film releases were Hugo (2011) and The Rum Diary (2011).[208] In September 2021, IN.2, Infinitum Nihil’s sister company in Europe, was introduced. In a press release, Depp said: “From the student to the maestro, from the aspiring artists to the yet-knowns, to the well-established great masters across all forms of modern media, IN.2 will build a space where artists can be artists, where they will be free to create those unexpected moments, those happy accidents that contain the propensity to constitute great art and so bring their unique vision to life.” [209]

In addition to co-owning The Viper Room nightclub in Los Angeles from 1993 to 2003, Depp also briefly co-owned Man Ray, a restaurant-bar in Paris. Depp and Douglas Brinkley co-edited folk singer Woody Guthrie’s novel House of Earth,[212] which was released in 2013.[213]

Other ventures

2018 saw Depp appear at Wembley Arena with the Hollywood Vampires.
Depp played guitar before he became an actor. He has since appeared on songs by a number of artists, including Marilyn Manson, Oasis, Shane MacGowan, Iggy Pop, Vanessa Paradis, Aerosmith, and The New Basement Tapes. Depp played guitar on the soundtracks of his films Chocolat and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Johnny has also participated in music videos for Paul McCartney, Avril Lavigne, The Lemonheads, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Avril Lavigne. In 2012, Johnny performed with Manson at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards. He was also a part of the band P in the 1990s, which included guitarist Steve Jones of Sex Pistols, bassist Flea of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and singer Gibby Haynes of Butthole Surfers.

2014 saw Depp take the stage with Aerosmith at the Mansfield, Illinois, Xfinity Center.[215]

Along with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry, Depp established the supergroup Hollywood Vampires in 2015. His friend Bruce Witkin from his 1980s band The Kids is also a member of the group. September 2015 saw the release of Hollywood Vampires’ self-titled debut studio album. The band made their live debut at The Roxy in Los Angeles in September 2015,[217] and has since gone on three world tours in 2016,[218] 2018,[219][220] and 2023.[221][222] Their second studio album, Rise, was released in June 2019 and is mostly made up of original material, including songs written by Depp. It featured eleven classic rock covers in addition to three original songs (all co-written by Depp). Depp sings a cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes” on the CD as well.[223]

With guitarist Jeff Beck, Depp released a cover of John Lennon’s “Isolation” in 2020 and announced that the two would be releasing more music together in the future.[224] Depp began performing with Beck onstage for several concerts in the UK in May 2022, at which point Beck revealed they had collaborated on an album.[225] Their joint record, titled 18, was released on July 15, 2022. Additionally, Depp toured with Beck during his final European and American tours, which started in June and ended in November.[226] In May 2023, Depp took the stage with Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Kirk Hammett, and Ronnie Wood at the Jeff Beck tribute concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Art

When Depp’s artwork first appeared in the Covent Garden, London, art retailer Castle Fine Art gallery in July 2022, it sold out in less than a day. Paintings of persons “who have inspired him as a person” made up his “Friends & Heroes” collection, which was shown at the art house. Actors Al Pacino and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as musicians Bob Dylan and Keith Richards, are listed among the artworks. Through the 37 galleries of the art house, Depp sold 780 prints for about $4 million. The day before the auction, Depp said, “I’ve always used art to express my feelings and to reflect on those who matter most to me, like my family, friends, and people I admire.” He also said, “My paintings surround my life, but I kept them to myself and limited myself. No one should ever limit themselves.” [229] All 780 pieces went quickly; framed individual images sold for £3,950, while the portfolio of four images sold for £14,950. The gallery posted on Instagram, saying, “This world-first release proved to be our fastest-selling collection to date, with all titles selling out in just hours.” Washington Green Glyn Washington, speaking on behalf of fine art publishers, characterised Depp as a “true creative, with an extraordinary eye for detail and nuance”.[230][231]

In March 2023, the second installment of the “Friends & Heroes” collection—named “Friends & Heroes II”—was released. In July 2023, Depp debuted an auto portrait titled “Five,” which he had painted in 2021. Prints of public icons Heath Ledger, Bob Marley, River Phoenix, and Hunter S. Thompson were made available for sale, either as a four-piece and signed by Depp, or sold individually. According to Depp, the significance of the number five is connected to the fact that he was going to begin the fifth year of a difficult time in his life. The collections were once again sponsored by Castle Fine Art gallery.[233] Depp discussed the challenge of making a self-portrait, saying: “It’s not the most comfortable thing doing a self-portrait. Although, in a weird way, almost everything you do is a self-portrait in one way or another.”

Reception and public image

The Sydney Morning Herald described Depp as the “bad boy of Hollywood” in the 1990s;[237] Depp’s chain smoking,[237] recreational drug use, and drinking habits were generally documented during this time.[238] Journalist Hadley Freeman of The Guardian stated in 2020 that Depp was perceived as a new type of male film star that rejected the norms of that role.[234][235] After becoming a teen idol in 21 Jump Street,[236] he publicly protested against the image and began to cultivate a new public persona.

He was one of the three quintessential grunge heartthrobs, along with Phoenix and Keanu Reeves. They were the antithesis of Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, the 90210 boys from Beverly Hills, who felt ashamed and even resentful of their appearance. They appeared edgy, despite the fact that their beauty tempered that edge, because of their disinterest in their own beauty. Not only did they represent a distinct type of stardom, but they also represented a distinct form of masculinity: attractive but caring, manly but feminine. It was safe and cool to appreciate pinup, and Depp in particular was that safe and cool. As fans, we recognised that Depp, Phoenix, and Reeves were more than just attractive people. They had bands, therefore they were artistic!—and they had incredibly deep ideas that they would go on and on about incoherently during interviews. We knew that our job as their soul interpreters would be to comprehend them if we were to date them.

Similarly, film scholar Anna Everett has described Depp’s 1990s films and public persona as “anti-macho” and “gender-bending”, going against the conventions of a Hollywood leading man.[235] After 21 Jump Street, Depp chose to work in independent films, often taking on quirky roles that sometimes even completely obscured his looks, such as Edward Scissorhands.[234][235] Critics often described Depp’s characters as “iconic loners”[42] or “gentle outsiders”.[235] According to Depp, his onetime agent, Tracey Jacobs of United Talent Agency (UTA), had to take “a lot of heat over the years” for his role choices; Depp characterized higher-ups at UTA as thinking, “Jesus Christ! When does he do a movie where he kisses the girl? When does he get to pull a gun out and shoot somebody? When does he get to be a man for a change? When is he finally going to do a blockbuster?”[239] According to Everett, his “rule-breaking” roles matched with the “much publicized rebelliousness, unconventionality, and volatility ascribed to Depp’s own personal life throughout the decade. From reports of his repeated confrontations with the police, trashing of a hotel room, chain smoking, drinking, and drug use, to his multiple engagements to such glamorous women as supermodel Kate Moss and Hollywood starlet Winona Ryder and others, we clearly see a perfect fit between his non-conformist star image and his repertoire of outsider characters”.[235]

Tom Cruise (right) and producer Jerry Bruckheimer (centre) with Johnny Depp in 2013.
Depp became one of the biggest box office draws in the 2000s with his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Walt Disney Studios’ Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, after a decade of mostly appearing in independent films with varying degrees of commercial success.[240] The five films in the series have earned US$4.5 billion as of 2021. Apart from the Pirates series, Depp collaborated with Tim Burton on four more highly successful films. Among them was Alice in Wonderland (2010), which turned out to be the biggest commercial hit of Depp’s career and one of the highest-grossing films ever (as of 2021).[241] In 2012, Depp was one of the biggest movie stars in the world, earning US$75 million in a single year, according to Guinness World Records.

Murray Pomerance, a film scholar, claims that Depp’s work with Disney “can be seen to purport and herald a new era for Johnny Depp, one in which he is, finally, as though long-promised and long-expected, the proud proprietor of a much-accepted career; not only a star but a middle-class hero”.[240] Depp was named “World’s Sexiest Man” by People in 2003; he would later reclaim the title in 2009.[240] Depp remained one of the biggest and most well-known movie stars in the world throughout the decade and into the 2010s[108][109]. The People’s Choice Awards allowed the public to vote for “Favourite Male Movie Star” each year from 2005 through 2012. As of 2020, Depp is the tenth highest-grossing actor globally, with his films having made over US$3.7 billion at the US box office and over US$10 billion worldwide.[242] Despite being a popular choice with audiences, critics’ opinions of Depp shifted in the 2000s, becoming more critical as he was perceived to conform more to the Hollywood ideal.[240] Nevertheless, Depp continued to shun more conventional leading-man roles until the end of the 2000s, when he starred as John Dillinger in Public Enemies (2009).

Many high-profile studio films from the 2010s, including The Lone Ranger (2013), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), and Dark Shadows (2012), underperformed at the box office.[115][113][118][119] Depp also faced negative publicity following accusations of domestic violence, drug abuse, bad behaviour on set, and losing his US$650 million fortune.[243][244][245][246][234] Following his loss in a widely reported libel case against the publishers of The Sun, Depp was asked to leave Warner Bros.’ Fantastic Beasts franchise.[157] Numerous publications claimed that Depp would have trouble landing major studio projects in the future.

Personal life

Depp presently resides in London and has a house in West Hollywood. He has not yet purchased a home there as of February 2023, preferring to remain in hotels or at friends’ homes.[248]

Relationships

Depp was married to makeup artist Lori Anne Allison from 1983 until 1985.[249] He was also engaged to actresses Jennifer Grey and Sherilyn Fenn in the late 1980s.[234] In 1990, he proposed to his co-star Winona Ryder from Edward Scissorhands, whom he had started dating the year before when she was 17 and he was 26.[250][251] They broke up in 1993.[250] Later, Depp had the tattoo “Wino Forever” changed from “Winona Forever” on his right arm.[234] He dated English model Kate Moss from 1994 until 1998.[252] After their breakup, Depp started dating French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis. The couple has two children: a son named Jack (born in 2002) and a daughter named Lily-Rose Melody Depp (born in 1999).[253] Depp said that becoming a father has given him a “real foundation, a real strong place to stand in life, in work, in everything…You cannot plan the kind of deep love that results in children. Fatherhood was not a conscious decision. It was part of the wonderful ride I was on. It was destiny. All the maths finally worked”.[72] Paradis and Depp announced their separation

Following the end of his relationship with Vanessa Paradis, Depp began dating actress Amber Heard, with whom he had co-starred in The Rum Diary (2011).[255] Depp and Heard were married in a civil ceremony on February 3, 2015.[256][257][258] Heard filed for divorce on May 23, 2016, and obtained a temporary restraining order against Depp, alleging in her court declaration that he had been verbally and physically abusive throughout their relationship, usually while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.[259][260][261][246] Depp denied these claims and alleged that she was “attempting to secure a premature financial resolution”.[262][259][263] A settlement was reached in August 2016,[264] and the divorce was finalized in January 2017.[265] Heard dismissed the restraining order, and they issued a joint statement saying that their “relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm”.[264] Depp paid Heard a divorce settlement of US$7 million, which she pledged to donate[266] to the ACLU[267] and the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA).[268][269]

Legal issues and allegations

Heard related litigations

Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd

Article focus: News Group Newspapers Ltd. v. Depp
In April 2018,[270] Depp filed a libel lawsuit in the UK against News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publishers of The Sun, over an article titled “GONE POTTY How Can J K Rowling be “genuinely happy” casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”.[271][272][273] The case was tried in July 2020 in front of a large audience, and both Depp and Heard gave lengthy testimony.[274] Depp’s attorney, David Sherborne, claimed that Heard had “blatantly lied” in her testimony, while NGN’s attorney, Sasha Wass, asserted that “all the evidence in [the] case and all the supporting evidence of the incidents of violence” leave “no doubt that Mr. Depp regularly and systematically abused his wife”.[275]

The High Court of Justice ruled in November 2020 that 12 of the 14 physical violence incidents that NGN had claimed had occurred, and that in three of those incidents, Depp had put Heard “in fear of her life.”[272][273] The court rejected Depp’s claims that the allegations against him were untrue, and also rejected his description of Heard as a “gold-digger.”[276] However, the court determined that The Sun’s portrayal of Depp as a “wife beater” was “substantially true.”[272][273] In the wake of the verdict, Depp resigned from the Fantastic Beasts franchise at Warner Bros. [159]

Depp filed an appeal of the decision, claiming—contrary to Heard’s testimony—that she had broken a promise to give her divorce money to a charitable organisation. Additionally, Depp’s attorneys claimed that Heard’s testimony regarding her donations had a significant impact on the judge’s opinion of Heard. [277] In response, Heard’s attorneys claimed that Depp was using Heard’s testimony to “divert attention from the UK Court’s findings relating to allegations of Mr Depp committing domestic abuse and violence” and that she had not yet completed paying her pledged donation due to the financial burden of the lawsuits against her. [277][278] Depp’s appeal to

We reject the idea that there is any reason to think that the court was swayed by the widespread belief that [Depp’s attorney] is relying on. First off, he makes no mention of [Heard’s] philanthropic donation when discussing his main conclusions. Conversely, he only brings it up in a very specific context. and following his completion of his analysis of the 14 occurrences… Reading the verdict as a whole makes it evident that the judge’s opinions about each occurrence were derived from his in-depth analysis of the particular evidence related to that episode. … With that kind of approach, the judge had no reason or space to consider any broad evaluation of Ms. Heard’s trustworthiness. We determine that there is little chance of success for the appeal.

Depp v. Heard

Article focus: Depp v. Heard
Depp filed a defamation lawsuit against Heard in February 2019 in relation to an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018.[282][283][284] In the end, Depp claimed that the op-ed contained three defamatory statements: first, the headline, “Amber Heard: I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change”; second, Heard’s writing: “Then two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out”; and third, Heard’s writing: “I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse.”[285][286] Depp claimed that Heard had abused him and that her accusations against him were a hoax.

In August 2020, Heard countersued Depp, claiming that he had orchestrated “a harassment campaign via Twitter and [by] orchestrating online petitions in an effort to get her fired from Aquaman and L’Oreal”.[287][288] In the end, Heard’s counter-suit went to trial over three allegations that Depp had defamed her through statements made by his then-lawyer, Adam Waldman, which were published in the Daily Mail in April 2020: first, Waldman claimed that “Heard and her friends in the media used fake sexual violence allegations as both sword and shield,” thereby promoting a “sexual violence hoax” against Depp; second, Waldman claimed that in one incident at a penthouse, “Amber and her friends spilled a little wine and roughed the place up, got their stories straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist, and t

Following the verdict in Depp’s lawsuit against The Sun the following month, Heard’s lawyers filed to have the defamation suit dismissed, but Judge Penny Azcarate ruled against it because Heard had not been a party in the UK case.[291] In August 2021, a New York judge ruled that the ACLU must disclose documents related to Heard’s charity pledge to the organization.[161][290] The judge in the case dismissed Depp’s lawyer Adam Waldman in October 2020 after he disclosed confidential information covered by a protective order to the media.

From April 11 to June 1, 2022, Fairfax County, Virginia, hosted the Depp v. Heard trial. Insinuating that Depp “plunged into the depths of paranoia and violence after bingeing on drugs and alcohol” throughout their relationship, Heard accused Depp of domestic abuse during the trial. Conversely, Depp charged Heard with multiple incidents of verbal and physical abuse while they were dating.[246][294][264][295]

Following thirteen hours of deliberation, the jury rendered a verdict on June 1, 2022. The jury returned a decision declaring that Heard’s three op-ed statements were maliciously false and defamatory of Johnny Depp. In Depp’s countersuit, the jury determined that Waldman’s first and third statements to the Daily Mail were not defamatory, but that Waldman’s second statement was false, defamatory, and made with actual malice. [289] As a result, Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages and zero in punitive damages from Depp. [285][289] The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, though the punitive damages were reduced to $350,000 due to a limit imposed by an existing Virginia state law. [296]

In response to the trial’s outcome, Depp said, “I am truly humbled by the jury. They gave me my life back.”[297] He also expressed his gratitude for the “colossal support and kindness from around the world” and said, “I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those who are supporting them never give up.”[298] Depp also praised his “diligent and unwavering legal team” for “an extraordinary job”.[299]

Heard’s lawyers maintained that the settlement was “not an act of concession,” while Depp’s lawyers said that the “jury’s unanimous decision and the resulting judgement in Mr. Depp’s favour against Ms. Heard remain fully in place.” The case was settled in December 2022 after both parties filed to appeal the verdict. As part of the settlement, $1 million would be paid to Depp, which “Depp is pledging and will donate to charities.”[300][301]

Other legal issues and allegations

When questioned about the incident in 1991, Depp said, “The guy had a boner for me… He had a wild hair up his ass, and he got real mouthy with me, saying, ‘I know who you are, but you can’t come up unless you’re a guest here.’ The mistake he eventually made was to put his hands on me. I pushed him back, and then we sort of wrestled around a bit, and I ended up spittin’ in his face.”[303] After this, Depp was arrested in Vancouver in 1989 for assaulting a security guard.

In 1994, Depp was again taken into custody in New York City after seriously damaging his accommodation at The Mark Hotel, where he was lodging with his girlfriend, Kate Moss. He agreed to pay US$9,767 in damages, and the accusations against him were dropped.[304]

In 1999, Depp was jailed once more after getting into a fight with paparazzi when they were trying to get his photo. When they approached him outside the Mirabelle restaurant in central London early on a Sunday morning, he allegedly threatened them with a wooden plank.[305]

Medical professor Robin Eckert of UC Irvine filed a lawsuit against Depp and three security companies in 2012, citing rough treatment by his bodyguards during a LA concert in 2011. The lawsuit was filed through Staff Pro Inc., Damian Executive Production Inc., and Premier Group International. She suffered injuries, including a dislocated elbow, after being dragged 40 feet across the floor while wearing handcuffs. TMZ reported that before the case went to trial, Depp settled with Eckert for an undisclosed sum.[308] Eckert’s court papers stated that Depp did nothing to stop the attack, despite being his security guards’ direct manager.[307] Depp’s attorneys argued that Eckert provoked the alleged assault and therefore “consented to any assault and battery.”

The case was dubbed the “highest profile criminal quarantine case” in Australian history by The Guardian. In April 2015, Depp and his then-wife Amber Heard violated Australia’s biosecurity laws when they failed to declare their two dogs to the customs when they flew to Queensland, where he was working on a film.[310][311] Heard pleaded guilty to falsifying quarantine documents, stating that she had made a mistake due to sleep deprivation.[312] She was placed on a $1,000 one-month good behaviour bond for producing a false document;[313] Heard and Depp also released a video in which they apologised for their behaviour.

After severing his relationship with The Management Group (TMG) in March 2016, Depp filed a lawsuit against the company in January 2017 alleging embezzlement and mishandling his money, leaving him more than $40 million in debt.[314][315] TMG countersued Depp for unpaid fees, claiming that Depp was accountable for his own financial mismanagement.[314][316] Depp also filed a related lawsuit against Bloom Hergott, his attorneys, in January 2017.[317] Both lawsuits were settled, with the former in 2

Two of Depp’s former bodyguards filed a lawsuit against him in 2018 alleging that he had failed to pay them overtime and that he had subjected them to unsafe working conditions. Among other things, the bodyguards claimed in their lawsuit that they were forced to drive vehicles that “contained illegal substances, open containers, and minors.”[320][321] In addition, they claimed that they were exposed to other unsafe working conditions and that they worked 12-hour shifts without breaks for food or rest. Despite these allegations, the bodyguards added that they were not given overtime compensation or any other just compensation. The lawsuit was settled in 2019.[322]

Moreover, in 2018, Depp was sued for allegedly hitting and verbally abusing a crew member on the set of City of Lies while intoxicated.[323] Depp’s attorney told the media that “Depp never touched the [crew member], as over a dozen witnesses present will attest”; in the meantime, Depp’s legal team entered a court filing that denied Depp hit the crew member, claiming instead that the crew member “provoked” the incident with “unlawful and wrongful conduct,” which made Depp and film director Brad Furman fear for their safety.[324] A film script supervisor submitted a court declaration stating that Depp did not hit the crew member, but rather reprimanded him.[325] Prior to the lawsuit going to trial, a tentative settlement was reached between Depp and the

Depp and Jeff Beck were charged in August 2022 of stealing a poem written by an African American man who was incarcerated and using its verses in the lyrics to their song “Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade” from their 2022 joint album, 18. The folklorist who filed the charge, Bruce Jackson, asked Depp and Beck to properly credit Slim Wilson, who wrote the song’s lyrics. He further asked that the two donate any album profits to a charity that supports African Americans.[326] Depp and Beck responded by suing Jackson, arguing that “Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade” is a “original work of authorship and creativity” and that Jackson’s accusations are merely a money grab. In response, Jackson stated that he had never made any “formal financial demands” and that Depp and Beck’s lawsuit against the person who discovered they had stolen the lyrics was similar to “a burglar suing a homeowner because he cut his hand on the kitchen window he broke getting in.”[327] The lawsuit is still pending. Jackson further stated that he never wrote the lyrics to that song.

Actress Lola Glaudini described a verbal abuse incident she experienced from actor Johnny Depp while filming the 2001 film Blow (2001).[328] Glaudini claimed that director Ted Demme had instructed her to ‘burst out laughing’ in response to a line from Depp when filming a scene for the film. Glaudini proceeded as follows in multiple takes until finishing in one: [329]

When I hear the cue, I laugh heartily or do something else. When they say cut, Johnny Depp approaches me, puts his finger in my face, and says, “Who the fuck do you think you are? Shut the fuck up. I’m out here, and I’m trying to fucking say my lines and you’re fucking pulling focus. You fucking idiot. Who the fuck do you think… Oh, now, oh now it’s not so funny? Now you can shut up? Oh it’s not funny now? The quiet that you are right now, that’s how you fucking stay.”

— Lola Glaudini, “Episode 177”, [330] of Strong Truth Angels
Glaudini claimed that the incident nearly brought her to tears, even though she had been excited to work with Depp, whom she had looked up to at the time.[328] She went on to say that Depp later offered her a “non-apology apology,” blaming the incident on the “Boston accent” he was doing for the film.[328][329] Depp responded to Glaudini’s claim by saying that he values his relationships with his coworkers.[328] Additionally, Sam Sarkar, the sound technician on Blow who has worked on several of Depp’s films, including Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Choclat, Mortdecai, and Minamata, stated that he had never heard anything similar to what Glaudini described.

Alcohol and drug use

Depp has spent a large portion of his life battling substance problems. In a 1997 interview, Depp acknowledged previous alcohol abuse while filming What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? He has stated that he started using drugs by taking his mother’s “nerve pills” at the age of 11, started smoking at the age of 12, and had used “every kind of drugs there were” by the time he was 14 years old. (1993).[331] In a 2008 interview, Depp stated that he had “poisoned” himself with alcohol “for years”.[331] In 2013, Depp declared that he had stopped drinking alcohol, adding that he “pretty much got everything [he] could get out of it”; Depp also said, “I investigated wine and spirits thoroughly, and they certainly investigated me as well, and we found out that we got along beautifully, but maybe too well”.[333] Regarding his breakup with longtime partner Vanessa Paradis, Depp said that he “definitely wasn’t going to rely on the drink to ease things or cushion the blow or cushion the situation …[because] that could have been fatal”.[333] In a 2018 Rolling Stone profile of Depp, reporter Stephen Rodrick wrote that he had used hashish in his presence and described him as “alternately hilarious, sly and incoherent”; Depp also said that the allegation made by his former business managers that he had spent US$30,000 per month on wine was “insulting” because he had spent “far more” than that amount.[243] During his 2020 libel trial, Depp admitted to having been addicted to Roxicodone and to having misused alcohol. In addition, he acknowledged using cocaine, MDMA, and marijuana, but he denied ever developing an addiction to any of them.

Political views

Depp joined the Imprisoned for Art campaign in November 2016 to demand the release of Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian filmmaker who was detained in Russia.

When questioned by Depp about President Donald Trump at the 2017 Glastonbury Festival, he said, “When was the last time an actor assassinated a president? I want to clarify: I’m not an actor. I lie for a living. However, it’s been a while and maybe it’s time. I’m not insinuating anything.” The remark was taken as a jab at the actor who killed Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth. CNN was informed by Shawn Holtzclaw of the Secret Service that they were aware of Depp’s remark; however, “for security reasons, we cannot discuss specifically nor in general terms the means and methods of how we perform our protective responsibilities”[339][340]. Shortly after, Depp issued an apology, stating that the comment “did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice” [341].