When Johnny Depp cheekily claimed he “owned” Marlon Brando on screen
To some of us of a certain age, it might seem unfathomable that Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando worked together, given that they’re icons of two very different cinematic eras. However, the two actors did cross paths for 1994’s romantic comedy-drama Don Juan DeMarco. Unsurprisingly, the result of such titans converging was excellent.
The film stars Depp as John Arnold DeMarco, a man who believes himself to be Don Juan, the greatest lover in the world. Donning a cape and Zorro mask, he is saved from a suicide attempt by Marlon Brando’s Dr Jack Mickler, who is about to retire but resolves to cure John of his delusion before doing so. The psychiatric sessions gradually affect Mickler and the staff, who become inspired by John’s tale, leading the doctor to rekindle his loveless marriage with his wife, Marilyn, played by Faye Dunaway.
Speaking at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2016, Depp looked back on working with Marlon Brando. In a comedic account, he opened his story by cheekily revealing that he “owned him” on screen.
“Well, first of all, I really love the idea of playing opposite Marlon Brando and being the crazy one. How many times has that job come around?” Depp asked. When the interviewer quipped, “He’s your straight man, isn’t he?” to which the actor added: “Pretty much. I owned him.”
Continuing with this comedic trip down memory lane, Depp said: “He was so charming, I mean, well, he was charming on screen, for sure. He was charming when we were setting up shots and things like that. Suddenly, you’d see like 17 make-up chicks over there just listening to Marlon telling these amazing stories – probably lies. No, he was a fascinating individual. I learned a lot.”
Depp maintained that Don Juan DeMarco was a “key” moment in his career and that he could not believe his luck that Marlon Brando wanted to be in the picture. He recalled: “That movie was key for me. They asked me who should play the doctor; they had other actors in mind. I don’t know why, I just said Marlon Brando. They laughed, and I didn’t (laughs). They kept saying, ‘He’ll never, no, no, he’ll never, he doesn’t care.’ I was in New York at the time, and I came back to my hotel… and you’re reading the thing, and you see this thing that says, ‘Marlon Brando called at 9.37, here’s his number’, and you’re like, ‘None of this shit’s happening. I’m nine months into a deep coma, and this is some weird shit that you really would like to happen, but it’s not gonna happen.'”
Doing away with the difficult character Brando was often made out to be, Depp concluded: “So I called him. And he was great. He was the absolute opposite of everything that they told me he was gonna be, which was some testy guy who wants to know that he’s in control and a lot of stuff. That’s not at all what the man was. No matter what he did, going to work, whatever, the most important thing on his mind was justice. Equality, justice, just justice.”
