The real people behind iconic Johnny Depp characters
Only a handful of artists have reached the same depths as Johnny Depp when working on a performance. While other actors may try to get to the root of the character they are playing any time they step behind the camera, Depp lives his characters in a way few can master, taking what’s written on the page and turning it into phrases that would roll off the tongue as if they were second nature. Although Depp may draw from what’s written, he has borrowed from various real people throughout his career.
When looking at how to approach a performance, it’s easy to borrow from one’s fellow actors most of the time. When working on playing Ichabod Crane, for instance, Depp relied on British actor Roddy McDowall, transforming himself into the fantasy character for the movie Sleepy Hollow. Many of Depp’s characters also dealt with the movements of his fellow actors, citing The Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz to frame the titular director in Ed Wood.
While it’s easy to pull from the well of actors who have come before, Depp has also based various people off of the politicians that he has seen at work in the past. Alongside the fantastical elements of Ed Wood, Depp thought that the often misguided optimism of his performance was indebted to what Ronald Reagan was like at the time.
That sunny way of thinking wasn’t too far off the mark, either. Just like Reagan was pushing Americans into places that many were uncomfortable with, Depp’s performance evokes a similar tone, tinkering with various crew members for a production that he knows could very well go under at any moment.
Outside of the world of movies, Depp’s portrayal of the beloved children’s character Willy Wonka also owed a debt to politics. When working on the signature voice of the eccentric chocolate manufacturer, Depp remembered taking a few cues from a former President, telling Ellen DeGeneres, “I imagine what George Bush would be like incredibly stoned”.
While Depp’s iteration of Wonka sounds nothing like the traditional George Bush impression, the mannerisms seem identical, especially his high-pitched voice going along with some of the zaniest turns of phrase heard in a children’s movie. Though politics and cinema have served Depp well, his first love has always been music.
Since his work on the video for Tom Petty’s ‘Into the Great Wide Open’, Depp has been taken with various rock stars, using some of his favourite acts to inspire his iconic characters. When working on Sweeney Todd, Depp would recall adapting the mannerisms of Iggy Pop, resulting in his slightly-off mannerisms throughout the film.
Perhaps the most obvious inspiration from the music world came when working on Pirates of the Caribbean. Outside of his outlandish persona as a swashbuckling pirate, Depp’s now-iconic portrayal as Captain Jack Sparrow was modelled after Keith Richards, who had already become the ultimate rock and roll pirate in The Rolling Stones.
Even after becoming one of the biggest film franchises for Disney, Richards would be one of the few to return the favour for Depp, putting on the makeup to star alongside Depp as a guitar-toting pirate. While it’s easy to do extensive research on the intricacies of acting, Depp has made a career out of working off of different icons of cinema and beyond.
