How Johnny Depp saved his co-star from on-set harrassment
The words ‘controversy’ and ‘Johnny Depp’ go together worryingly well. Aside from the obvious media storm that surrounded his issues with ex-wife Amber Heard, the extravagant star has had more than his fair share of run-ins with the law. He’s been arrested a couple of times for violence, including for brawling with paparazzi, and, in January 2024, Lola Glaudini accused him of verbally abusing her whilst they were both working on the movie Blow.
Sometimes though, nice stories about Depp come out in the press. He is a noted contributor to many charitable causes, including Great Ormond Street Hospital and a number of animal and environmental charities. In 2008, he agreed to record a number of voice messages for Sophie Wilkinson, a 17-year-old fan who had been in a coma for five months following a car crash. Some sources claim that the messages helped Sophie to move her legs for the first time and, according to the Daily Mirror, she was eventually able to return home.
There’s also this story from the set of Tim Burton’s Ed Wood. A biopic of the legendary B movie director, Depp stars as the title character, marking the second entry in his and Burton’s lengthy collaboration period. Alongside Depp, the cast also included Sarah Jessica Parker as Wood’s girlfriend, Martin Landau as iconic horror actor Bela Legosi, and the subject of this tale, Patricia Arquette as Kathy O’Hara, another love interest.
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Arquette revealed that one of the extras on the movie would taunt her between takes. “She would turn to me and say, ‘I’m going to kill myself because of you.’ Then they’d say, ‘Rolling!’ and she’d stop,” she said (via Showbiz Cheat Sheet). I was in a very perilous mental state with this constant mental assault.” Fortunately for her, Depp, whom she had known since they were both teenagers coming up together, was on hand to step in.
“Johnny went up to her and said, ‘Hey, listen, she hasn’t done anything to you, you have no right to spew that stuff out at her,’” Arquette continued. “He was very chivalrous. He has a really calming effect on people. He completely stabilised her insanity.” The name of the extra isn’t given in this interview (probably for the best), but it’s safe to assume that she didn’t get many more gigs off the back of this incident.
Arquette denied that she and Depp were ever romantically involved, but admitted that they were close back in the day. “The first time I remember hanging out with him was at the parking lot of Canter’s drinking beers,” she recalled. “Then we went over to the supermarket and I remember him pushing me around in a shopping cart, and I had a little strainer on my head.” The pair both have the same franchise to thank for their careers taking off; Depp memorably featured in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street movie, whilst Arquette starred in its second sequel, Dream Warriors.
Does this act of kindness excuse Depp’s other transgressions? Not at all. It simply demonstrates that he, like all people, is a complex individual, capable of both good things and bad depending on the circumstances. Still, in this instance at least, he did the right thing.
