You already know his movies. You know some of his songs. You have closely followed his artistic facet, but… did you know that Johnny Depp’s life is full of interesting facts? We tell you some of them below.
In his childhood he lived in more than 20 houses
When he was a kid, he had a very hectic life. His family must have changed their residence for, at least, twenty occasions! All of this was done for work reasons. Finally, he settled in Florida, southeastern United States.
He dropped out of high school to form his own band and become a rock star
The dream started when they gave him his first guitar at 12 years old.
The principal of his school supported him
After his parents got him to go back to school, the principal himself convinced him of retiring to follow his dreams.
After this, he went to Los Angeles.
His first band was called “Flame”
That’s how Johnny started his first steps with rock.
…And the second, “The Kids”
With this band he travelled to Hollywood and was the opening act for artists and bands like Iggy Pop, Duran Duran, B-52, etc.
He started selling pens!
Before starting his acting career he was a pen seller that earned 30 dollars a week.
He owed his first role to his charm
In 1983, Nicolas Cage, who recently met Depp, convinced Johnny to participate in an audition. Depp attended and the daughter of the producer liked him so much that he got his first role in the big screen in the movie: “Nightmare on Elm Street” (1983).
His first marriage was when he was barely 20 years old
He married Lori Anne Allison en 1983 but got divorced in 1985, having a short marriage of two years.
He founded the band “P”
In 1993 he formed the band “P” in company of the bass player, the actor Sal Jenco, the songwriter Bill Carter and the vocalist of “Buttholes Surfers”, Gibby Haynes. The band counted with only one album that has the same name as the band.
Friends that are family
He’s the godfather of one of the kids of Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton.
He has been the only actor of a Disney film nominated in the category of Best Actor
Thanks to his interpretation of Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl” (2003), he received the nomination of Best Actor in The Academy Awards in 2003.
Painting fascinates him
He illustrated the cover of his ex-wife’s CD, Vanessa Paradis, “Divinidylle”.
He also portrayed Marlon Brando and Keith Richards (guitar player of “The Rolling Stones”) among others.
And he’s also a great reader
In diverse occasions he has quoted his favorite authors. One of his favorite genres is the Gonzo, led by Hunter S. Thompson, who Johnny himself interpreted in the movie “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (1998).
He’s a very good friend of Nicolas Cage
This friendship had its start when Cage started to influence Depp to act. Thanks to him, he got his first role in cinema: “Nightmare on Elm Street”.
Jack Sparrow in the suitcase
Occasionally, he uses his Jack Sparrow costume to visit children’s hospitals.
Foundation
In 2012 he made it into the Record Guinness book
As the best paid actor, receiving a total of 75 million dollars in just 2011.
He has acted in a total of eight films directed by Tim Burton
“Edward Scissorhands” (1990), “Ed Wood” (1994), “Sleepy Hollow” (1999), “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (2005), “Corpse Bride” (2005), “Sweeney Todd” (2007), “Alice in Wonderland” (2010) and “Dark Shadows” (2012).
Officially “sexy”
In 2003 and 2009 he was named “the sexiest man alive” by the People magazine.
He doesn’t like to dance
There are few movies in which he has made a dance or anything close to one.
He has confessed more than once that it’s difficult for him to detach himself from his character, Jack Sparrow
“I think he will always be there, actually, he never leaves. Many times I can’t stop him” the actor says.
In 1997 he had the honor to direct Marlon Brando in “The Brave”
The movie is directed, written and produced by Depp. It was part of the official selection of the Cannes Festival in 1997.
His platonic love is Jimmy Kimmel
He confessed it on screen in more than one occasion and every time he goes to his program he feels the need to kiss him. In one of his last interviews in Kimmel’s show, after surprising and greeting P!nk, he goes directly to kiss Jimmy.
While he was filming in London he received a curious letter from a little girl
In the letter, she was asking for help to organize a mutiny against the teacher. Then, Johnny went to the school dressed as Jack Sparrow to convince the class that it wasn’t a good idea and to not do anything to the teacher.
He looked after the economic future of Heath Ledger’s daughter after he passed away
When Ledger passed away, they were filming “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” and Depp convinced his co-stars Jude Law and Colin Farrell to give Ledger’s daughter, Matilda, everything they earned for the movie.
He adopted the horse that he rode in “Sleepy Hollow”
When he found out that they would sacrifice the animal once the filming was finished, he couldn’t avoid convincing the owner to adopt it.
Special participation in Paul McCartney’s videos
He has appeared in two musical videos of McCartney: “My Valentine”, along with Natalie Portman and “Queenie Eye”, along with a wide range of great artists.
From concert to concert
Johnny has participated as guitar player in concerts from artists such as Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper, Ninja (from “Die Antwoord”), among others.
Hollywood Vampires
In 2015 he formed the experimental band “Hollywood Vampires”, along with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry. The band already has two homonym albums, in which they interpret big rock classics and two unreleased songs written by Johnny.
Tattoo lover
And he has more than 10, being the one that -today- says “Wino Forever” the most famous of all. The origin? A love declaration to Winona Ryder, which after they separated he decided to modify. He also has an Indian American, being this one the first one that he got in honor of his ancestors of Cherokee origin. Also, in honor of his mother, he has a heart with her name, Betty Sue. Where the heart is located he has the name of his daughter Lily Rose and in honor to his son Jack, he has a sparrow inspired by “Pirates of the Caribbean”, however, unlike Jack Sparrow’s, Johnny’s bird is tattooed in direction to him, “because children always tend to fly to me” he says. In fact, he said that for him his body is his journal and his tattoos, his story.
His favorite characters
Until today, for Johnny, his favorite characters that he has interpreted are Ed Wood (1994), captain Jack Sparrow (2003 – 2017) and Edward Scissorhands (1990).
His properties
Besides different houses in Los Angeles and London, Johnny has an island in the Bahamas, which he acquired in 2004. And a farm with vineyards in Plan-De-La-Tour, south of France.
Nominations
He has been nominated ten times to the Golden Globes and he has won one, for Sweeney Todd (2008).
Alergic to chocolate
As a kid he suffered from chocolate allergy. Years later, by coincidences of life, he had the opportunity to interpret the most famous chocolatier, Willy Wonka, in Tim Burton’s version in 2005. Luckily, he doesn’t suffer from this allergy anymore.
Love for his fans or “relatives” like he says
Johnny considers his fans his “relatives” because without their support, he wouldn’t have gotten where he has gotten. Innumerables times he has confessed that the cinema industry would be lost without them and that’s why he has to thank them, wether it’s signing an autograph or taking a picture. As long as they allow him to get close to his fans, he’ll do it.
Cherokee blood runs through his veins
His great-grandmother was half Cherokee, one of the native American tribes.
He’s an “adopted” Comanche
He was symbolically adopted by LaDonna Harris, member of the Comanche community.
Lily Rose’s disease
One of the worst moments in his life was in 2007 while he was filming “Sweeney Todd”, his daughter got seriously ill because of the E.Coli bacterium. The treatment was so successful in the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, that the actor in gratitude showed up at the hospital dressed as Jack Sparrow to cheer up other sick kids and donated 1 million pounds to the institution.
Entrepreneur
Besides from having a successful career as an actor, Johnny has his own producer, Infinitum Nihil, founded in 2004 by himself and directed by his sister, Christi Dembrowski. He also shares the restaurante May Ray in Paris with Sean Penn and John Malkovitch.
Do you know any other interesting facts? Tell us in the comments.