“A great, uncompromising artist”: Johnny Depp on the impact of Frank Sinatra
There are actors who dabble in music, musicians who dabble in acting, and performers who try to make their name in one before falling into the other almost by accident. Johnny Depp fits into the latter category, having become a cinematic superstar despite initially betting it all on his band hitting the big time.
While still a teenager, Depp began playing in Florida group The Kids, who experienced enough minor success in their home state that they opted to chance their luck in California. When the band failed to secure a record deal and split up, it was Nicolas Cage who suggested that he try his hand at acting.
He’d always been interested in movies, but he didn’t have any experience as a performer on stage or screen, never mind representation. Fortunately, as a member of the Coppola dynasty with connections, Cage helped Depp to land an audition for Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, permanently altering his destiny.
Of course, he never abandoned his musical pursuits entirely, with Depp maintaining a keen interest in his extracurricular activities. He’s featured on tracks by Oasis, Iggy Pop, and Aerosmith, became a member of the short-lived supergroup P, and regularly tours with all-star outfit Hollywood Vampires.
As mentioned, actors and musicians pass like ships in the night all the time, but not many of them have conquered the two worlds and become icons in both of them. One of the most famous, and arguably the single most successful, looking at their accomplishments in each discipline, was Frank Sinatra.
The recipient of an Academy Award, four Golden Globes, and 11 Grammys, ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes’ was an A-list megastar of Hollywood’s ‘Golden Age’ and a prolific singer who recorded and released dozens of albums, making him one of the bestselling musical artists of all time in addition to his status as a certified legend of cinema.
For many, he’s the benchmark, epitome, and embodiment of reaching the pinnacle in film and music, so it’s no surprise Depp holds him in such esteem. “For me, Frank Sinatra was a great, uncompromising artist,” he told Film Scouts. “He made an incredible contribution to music. I didn’t know him personally. I’ve been in the same room with him, and he was an awesome figure. He was an incredible man.”
Any aspiring actor would kill for a career even half as successful as Sinatra’s, and the exact same sentiment applies to would-be singers and recording artists. The fact he was equally proficient in each arena speaks volumes to not only his talent, drive, and desire but also his wide-ranging appeal.
Obviously, Depp isn’t Sinatra, and he never wanted to be, but he’s still the blueprint for how being an actor and a singer isn’t necessarily an either/or kind of deal but a potential dual-pronged and full-time livelihood with no limits on either.
