The director who scared Johnny Depp: “It was a great experience”
Even before he was a star, Johnny Depp had worked with several notable auteurs who each approached cinema in their own unique way, which set him up nicely to carry on in that vein when he finally hit the big time.
Not that he wasted much time gaining attention, earning a Golden Globe nomination for ‘Best Actor – Musical or Comedy’ when he partnered with Tim Burton for the first time on Edward Scissorhands, which was only the fifth feature of his career.
He debuted under the watchful eye of horror icon Wes Craven on classic subconscious slasher A Nightmare on Elm Street. In addition, Depp took a trip overseas with Oliver Stone for the ‘Best Picture’-winning Platoon, and headlined John Waters’ cult classic musical rom-com Cry-Baby, which made for quite the introduction to the world of cinema.
Depp’s part in Platoon was supposed to be much larger than what he ended up with in the final cut, and the actor even learned conversational Vietnamese to aid his performance as Lerner in the film. Unfortunately, it was all for nothing when the majority of his scenes ended up on the cutting room floor, but he’ll never forget his first encounter with the firebrand filmmaker.
It would be an understatement to say that Stone has always carried and presented himself as a forceful personality, and for an actor who was so unknown they hadn’t even been cast in their breakthrough role on teen-friendly cop drama 21 Jump Street yet, it was a daunting moment.
“I went and read for Oliver Stone, and Oliver scared the shit out of me,” Depp admitted to Interview of going in to audition for the infamously hot-headed director. “I read for him and he said, ‘OK, I need you for about ten weeks in the jungle.'” That was all he needed to hear, and just like that, he was part of the Platoon ensemble.
Of course, the ten weeks Depp spent in the blazing heat and stifling humidity of the Philippines was hardly reflected in the amount of screentime he ended up with, but it was a worthwhile jaunt nonetheless. Depp said “it was a great experience” being in the thick of the action alongside Stone working at the peak of his powers, even if he shot a great deal more footage than audiences got to see.
The cast of Platoon was filled with names who’d go on to become major stars including Charlie Sheen, Forest Whitaker, and Kevin Dillon, but in terms of sheer visibility and earning power, Depp would go on to eclipse them all when he ended up as the highest-paid star in Hollywood. If Stone had known that at the time, then maybe he would have kept more of his scenes in the movie.
