The director who thought Johnny Depp couldn’t act: “This isn’t the boy next door”
Over the course of his lengthy, accomplished, and regularly controversial acting career, Johnny Depp has amassed quite the CV. From his big franchise appearances like Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean to his smaller, more challenging performances in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to his myriad collaborations with Tim Burton, Depp has played many great characters and has established himself as a favourite amongst many a cinemagoer.
The actor’s impressive legacy, which now includes his daughter Lily-Rose, all began with an appearance in a classic horror movie. Depp made his film debut as Glen Lantz in A Nightmare on Elm Street, the boyfriend of main character Nancy Thompson. He is a key part of the battle against Freddy Krueger, memorably meeting his end by being pulled through a bed by the knife-fingered antagonist in a cascade of blood. Glen was the launchpad for everything that followed for Depp, but not everyone was a fan.
On a TV documentary called Inside Hollywood Horror, Elm Street director Wes Craven revealed his first impression of the actor who would go on to become a megastar. “I could make up all kinds of stories about why I had the perception and presence to cast Johnny Depp, but I would be a liar,” he said. “We were looking for someone in the role as Nancy’s boyfriend… the boy next door… and in comes Johnny Depp with a friend – the long hair, his fingers were yellow, and I thought, ‘This isn’t the boy next door, and he can’t act, and he’s so nervous. Sweet, but…’”
Prior to his appearance in Craven’s masterpiece, Depp had never acted before. He had only gotten the audition because he was friends with Nicolas Cage but had primarily been focussing on his music career up to that point. If it hadn’t been for Craven’s teenage daughter Jessica, who took one look at Depp and declared, “He’s beautiful!”, it’s unlikely that he would have ever got the part, let alone gone on to become one of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Depp wasn’t the only future titan in the running for the part of Glen. Charlie Sheen had originally been cast in the film but allegedly wanted a higher salary than the low-budget production could afford. The second-generation performer had also gotten his start in a horror flick – 1983’s Grizzly II – but, unlike Depp, was a well-known hame through his appearance in the Cold War-era drama Red Dawn. His and Depp’s paths would cross again two years later when they both appeared in Oliver Stone’s Platoon.
As he so often was, Wes Craven was right about Depp’s acting ability. His performance as Glen is hardly scene-stealing; he does just about enough to get through a scene, but you almost instantly forget about him as soon as he’s off-camera. Luckily, if there’s one genre where bad acting isn’t always a death knell, it’s horror. Glen’s superb death scene is the only thing most people remember about the character, and that was enough to give Depp the leg-up he needed to eventually conquer the world of film.
In 1991, seven years after his original appearance in the series, Depp returned to Elm Street for a brief cameo in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare – a respectful nod to the franchise that gave him his big break.
