The only actors Johnny Depp called gods of cinema: “The guys I always adored”
He might not have always had the best image in the press, but there’s no denying that Johnny Depp has made more than a sizable impression on the movie business. From getting murdered by Freddy Krueger to sailing the seven seas on the Black Pearl, fearing and loathing a certain city in Nevada, to all the weird stuff Tim Burton has made him do, the bad boy of the silver screen has had one hell of a ride.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that a young Depp didn’t care much for the acting world before he joined it. He’d actually moved to Hollywood to pursue a music career. He was famously only cast in A Nightmare on Elm Street because Wes Craven’s daughter fancied him. Still, that doesn’t mean he isn’t acutely aware of the history of cinema, nor that he doesn’t have an appreciation for those names who got the ball rolling.
Speaking with Vanity Fair, the actor gave a few examples of performers from the early days of Hollywood that really inspired him. “The guys I always adored were mostly the silent-film actors,” he revealed. “Buster Keaton first, Lon Chaney Sr., and [Charlie] Chaplin, of course – those three for me. And John Barrymore. The gods: those are the gods. And then you’ve got the people that came out of that, Paul Muni, certainly.”
All of these names were around way before Depp’s time. In fact, most of them had died before their young admirer had even made his big screen debut. Keaton and Chaplin speak for themselves. They are among the first names most people conjure in their minds when they think of the silent film era; their comedic exploits are that legendary. The physicality of their performances, particularly Keaton’s insane repertoire of stunts, are a masterclass in how to emote without the use of words. Depp very nearly ended up playing one of his idols in Richard Attenborough’s 1992 movie Chaplin, but the role ended up going to Robert Downey Jr. instead.
As for Lou Chaney – called ‘Lou Chaney Sr’ by Depp to differentiate from his similarly named son, who was also an actor – his influence on Depp is clear to see. Nicknamed ‘The Man of a Thousand Faces’, Chaney was notable for his ability to transform into multiple varied characters through the use of makeup and prosthetics. He was a stalwart of the early days of horror, appearing in silent film versions of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera. He also played Fagin in the 1922 adaptation of Oliver Twist, long before Ron Moody famously stepped into the role.
John Barrymore is an interesting one. The grandfather of Drew Barrymore, the man affectionately known as ‘Jack’ began life as a stage performer before transitioning to film. A star of the silent era, he was one of the few to survive the crossover into talking pictures, saved by his classically trained voice. Paul Muni, who Depp mentioned as a successor to this era, is perhaps best known for playing Tony Camonte in the original version of Scarface.
It might feel like an entirely different age, but this era of cinema is fascinating, particularly the transition between silent pictures and ‘talkies’. If you’re not massively acquainted with it, you’d do well to follow in Mr. Depp’s footsteps and brush up.
