Johnny Depp, Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow, Vanessa Paradis, Tim Burton, Public Enemies, Sweeney Todd, Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands,  John Dillinger, Gregory David Roberts, Infinitum Nihil, Shantaram, Ed Wood, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka, Rum Diary, Dark Shadows, Alice in Wonderland, Nightmare on Elm Street, Platoon, Private Resort, 21 Jump Street, Cry Baby, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Arizona Dream, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Lasse Hallstrom, From Hell, The Man Who Cried, Secret Window, David Koepp, Freddy's Dead, Final Nightmare, Benny and Joon, Don Juan de Marco, Marlon Brando, Dead Man, Nick of Time, Donnie Brasco, The Brave, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas,LA Without A Map, Ninth Gate, Astronaut's Wife, Before Night Falls, Chocolat, Blow, From Hell, Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest, At World's End, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Happily Ever After, Finding Neverland, The Libertine, Benjamin Barker, John Wilmot, Mort Rainey, Sheldon Jeffrey Sands, Abberline, Roux, Ichabod Crane,William Blake, Raoul Duke, Raphael, Joe Pistone, sam, joon, axel blackmar, oprah noodlemantra, Tom Hanson, Tim Burton, GoreVerbinski, Mira Nair, Emir Kosturica, Jim Jarmusch, Terry Gilliam, michael mann, Rango, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Helena Bonham Carter

	QUOTES  About Johnny, L - Z L Rikki Lake Cry-Baby co-star His persona is that of a movie star. He's got that charisma. It's plain to see. Quotes by: Martin Landau Ed Wood co-star, This is for us, Johnny. No matter what happens tonight, this is for us because, I mean, you know if you play tennis by yourself it doesn’t work. That guy is the best young actor in this town. Not only that, he comes in prepared, he’s ready to work, and he’s willing to take chances, and I love him. Back in New York in the '50's, James Dean was one of my best friends. It's very hard to compare the younger actors of today with Dean, yet I can honestly say I don't know of anyone who comes closer to Jimmy than Johnny. They share a similar subtlety in their work. But Jimmy's was a fragile talent—not as developed as Johnny's is. Johnny and I wound up liking each other enormously, I mean quickly. I love the kid, he’s terrific. He’s a good kid, he’s a talented kid. He comes in prepared. It’s like playing tennis with a good player; he makes your game better. You hit the ball and it comes back pretty good. There's no self-consciousness; no holding back. And that's what I like about him, you know: he jumps in deep water—and he swims! He loves his family, he loves his people, and is very loyal to them.   Frank Langella costar, The Ninth Gate He really is a committed, serious actor who has been painted with this brush of celebrity gossip icon. He is so uncomfortable with that aspect of his life that you can see him struggling with it often. Johnny Depp is just the best there is. He’s the best actor of his generation—the bravest, the most original, the most stylish. I worked with him on The Ninth Gate—and he’s also a great person to be around. Andrew Lazar producer, The Astronaut's Wife, Depp can be both the consummate gentleman and the most sinister source of evil at the same time. Quotes by: Christopher Lee Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Corpse Bride co-star, Johnny Depp, as far as I’m concerned, is number one. Of his generation, there’s no one who can touch him. Some performers, today, it’s like looking at holes in the air. I think fatherhood and Vanessa have kept Johnny grounded. Of course Johnny is a great film actor—inventive and with enormous versatility—but he is also polite and courteous. He opens doors for ladies and stands up when they enter a room. There is a lot about how to behave on screen—and off it—that certain of his peers could learn from. David Letterman Late Show with David Letterman, You know Johnny, Paul Shaeffer and I have been doing this show for a long time, almost 20 years. I think I'm safe in saying without a doubt, you are the coolest guy we've ever had on this program. Isn't he cool? Quotes by: Jeremy Leven writer and director, Don Juan DeMarco We were shooting this scene where Depp and Brando are standing on scaffolding 80 feet in the air and there is no question what is really going on up there. I was standing next to the photographer, and we looked at each other at the same time and recognized what was happening. Marlon was passing the torch to Johnny. You could feel it in your bones. It was so obvious. Marlon was giving Johnny the room to be the next Marlon Brando. And you know something? I think Johnny can handle it. I think Johnny is far and away the most talented of today’s young actors. He is very much like Marlon on many fronts. They both have a 100 percent bull detector in that they know what is false and not working in a scene. They both have an incredible instinct for knowing what writing is all about. And then, of course, they both have a lot of turmoil inside. Emanuelle Levy, film critic Impressive in his dark look, brave singing voice, and brilliant acting, Johnny Depp gives a dazzling, haunting performance in the horror-musical-movie Sweeney Todd, one for which he should receive his third Best Actor Oscar nomination, perhaps even win the coveted award. Quotes by: Juliette Lewis Gilbert Grape co-star Johnny is self-debasing. Is that the right word? Anyway, sometimes he's too self-debasing. A lot of actors and actresses just want to be safe and look really pretty and cool in front of the camera. Johnny’s not like that. He’s in it for the work and for creating. John Logan screenwriter, Sweeney Todd, He absolutely works! Normally Sweeney is sung by bass-baritone and he’s presented as a lumpen proletariat, someone with a very large physical presence. Johnny’s not that. He slender, he’s elegant, he’s sexy, and yes, he’s a tenor. What I think he brings to the role is sort of this Byronic quality; there’s something so tormented and anguished and poetic about his Sweeney Todd that is wildly appropriate. But I admit I never would have thought that until I saw him on the set and saw how incredibly romantic his Sweeney was. Traci Lords Cry-Baby co-star He's very much a man's man. He doesn't act like a star. He's not egotistical, he's not hung up, he's not an idiot. He's just very relaxed, very easy to work with, and very much in love right now. ................................. M Sharan Magnuson Fox publicist I see a lot of Johnny in Tom [Hanson]. He's shy, yet he has that great sensitivity—and he's very chivalrous with women. People don't expect someone that good looking to be down-to-earth. I don't think Johnny's even aware of how handsome he is. He's genuinely puzzled by the attention. Daniel Malone Director of marine and underwater operations for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, He was fantastic, a real professional. Came to set prepared every day. A lot of fun. His last day in the Bahamas, we were on the Black Pearl and there were lots of extras—there must have been 180 people on the deck of the boat. It was completely jam-packed—it was like a concert. You couldn't even walk through it. We were up on the stern where he finished his scene, and he literally shook the hand of every single person between him and the exit. He stopped and said, ‘Thank you.’ That's just the kind of guy he is. Later, outside a California soundstage, there were hundreds of people screaming his name. After working a 14-hour day, he sat outside and signed autographs for every single person before he left. It took like 3 1/2 hours.   Marilyn Manson Friend Johnny has matured, but he still has all the spark of being a kid. Lily has helped him be even more of a kid because now he has a playmate. Mary Stuart Masterson from the set of Benny & Joon, When Johnny walked in, the energy in the room changed. There's something really amazing about him, his generosity of spirit. Samantha Mathis actress and Viper Room regular  [Speaking of the Viper Room]I think Sal and Johnny extended themselves to their circle of friends in such a way that people who were musicians and artists felt like there was this open venue for them to come and try things out. I mean, that's where the Counting Crows debuted their new music. They invited their friends to come and see what the response was. Or people would just come for an evening of fun and find themselves onstage. But it was a safe place. You knew the owners weren't calling the press and saying, ‘So and so is playing at the Viper Room tonight.’ It was really respectful. Daniel McCord Film Review Johnny Depp manages to steal the show (as he always does), still in character from the summer's Pirates of the Caribbean. Impressively it works once again, adding a hugely comedic element to the film. (Once Upon a Time in Mexico) His wardrobe is one to be reckoned with and should have gotten credited as a character on its own. Quotes by: Peter Medak director, October  He’s fabulous and wonderfully committed—a very simple person. Big stars surround him. He’s fabulous, but most approachable and sincere. When you’re with him, no one else exists when you’re talking with him. I’m working on a project with Johnny Depp called Inamorata. I didn’t know Johnny. He knew The Changeling. He got in touch with me about this, showed me this book and it’s fantastic ghost story again. It’s a supernatural love story. It has all the elements The Changeling had, and all classic ghost stories had, but very little happens. It’s all in the mind, and psychological and real. Hopefully we’ll make that movie in the next year. He’s not in it. It will be the first movie he produces. He’s fabulous and wonderfully committed—a very simple person. Big stars surround him. He’s fabulous, but most approachable and sincere. When you’re with him, no one else exists when you’re talking with him. Eva Mendez Once Upon a Time in Mexico co-star I have had a total crush on Johnny Depp ever since I was a young girl. Oh my God, first of all, there's that beauty factor. I'm sorry but Johnny is one of the most beautiful men I have ever seen in my life. I have to admit, I am totally in love with him. And another thing that surprises me is how funny he really is. I know you saw him in the movie, but in person, he is really naturally funny as well. He is just so dreamy. Rob Morrow Private Resort co-star, There was a test screening ofPrivate Resort and no one affiliated with it would go anywhere near the theater. Depp and I heard about it and wanted to see it. So we dressed up in the weirdest possible way. He had these dorky glasses on and a knit hat, and I put cotton in my mouth so my face puffed out. We walked right past the executives who knew us. Rebecca Murray Your Guide to Hollywood Movies When asking a question of Depp, be specific. A generic one put to Depp by a journalist at the press junket led to the following exchange: Question—Can you talk about your teeth? Depp's response—“Talk about my teeth? Well, I've had many problems over the years. Several root canals. Once they found an eight millimeter, the tip of a drill bit in one of the canals. That was horrible. That was a six hour ordeal. I'm sorry, go ahead . . .” ................................. N Quotes by: Mira Nair director Johnny Depp is an extraordinary human being, an extraordinary actor, and he embodies so much of what Shantaram is. So when he asked me to direct him, it was just a great honor. People who have known him for long will tell you that he is a humble soul with great curiosity about the world. And those were my impressions, too. He loves taking risks, and that is why you see him in big films such as the Pirates of the Caribbean series, and smaller films like The Libertine. You never get the feeling that you are dealing with a movie star when you work with him. He is down-to-earth and very humane. Quotes by: Mike Newell director, Donnie Brasco, He’s a very polite, very gentle person in all sorts of ways. I also think he has a devil in him. Underneath this wistfulness, you feel a sanction of violence. So there’s this terrific mental energy going into keeping these two mutually antagonistic things in balance. That’s what keeps you coming back. Johnny is, in part, a great impersonator. When he met Joe Pistone, I could see him latch on to certain characteristics within seconds. Joe is a man whose exterior is stony—he’s not a gentle soul, with these dead, stone, impenetrable eyes. I would not want to get beaten up by Joe, truly. Johnny took a great deal from Joe. Johnny doesn't suffer fools gladly. He tends toward a choice of material that's going to interest him intellectually, and has always said to himself that the career comes second. He trod on my toes a couple of times. He doesn't like people who are ill-prepared. He HATES cliché. He just didn't . . . he found the shot really boring . . . [shrugs] Nobody likes having that stuff pointed out to them. He bit my ass a couple of times, and to this day I don't know what I did. He suddenly fell completely out of love and was vile. The reason it was disconcerting is that he is so sweet the rest of the time; he's so hard working, so sensitive, with all the right vibrations and just a couple of times he comes on like the bloodbeast terror and you don't know where you are. What Johnny does is he stands one pace behind you with his cap doffed, you think he's tremendous and all the time he's taking notes. It is one of the ways he works. He's presentable, he's well mannered, he's gentle and he doesn't come on too strong. I think that he becomes a sort of favored son. Quotes by: Bill Nighy Pirates of the Caribbean co-star Johnny's a brilliant man, and a wonderful man, as well as an exemplary co-worker. When I first arrived, we worked out a few scenes together; there were some small accidents and he's extremely inventive, he never stops working. He's fabulous to work with. It must be one of the most popular performances of recent times. Not only is Depp an assassin in terms of comedy and everything else—he's a brilliant guy—but he brings to it, and to the movie as a whole, a big-heartedness. It has good spirit. He's an exemplary man, both as a colleague and as company. He is terrific company, he is a gentleman, a democrat—I don't mean in the political sense, I mean in terms of his general sensibility—he's funny, decent, conscientious, a lovely guy and an assassin in terms of comedy. He's just entirely wonderful. The first film is more than just a fond memory for people, it's kind of beloved. And it is largely to do with Johnny's performance. And it occurs to me that it is a performance that has entered the language in a way that very few performances do. And it is a performance that will survive down the years—we will show our grandchildren this performance. We will show these movies and we will claim the performance as our own in some ways, you know when your parents like to sit you down and watch whoever. It's a huge contribution Johnny has made and it has everything—it's profoundly funny and witty, it's daring and bold, it's affectionate and fond and it's iconic. And you can't say that very often but he really has pulled it off and it will survive. He's an exemplary guy and so very, very cool. I think Depp's Capt. Jack is a rare thing. It will be referred to down the years. People will show it to their grandchildren. They'll say, ‘When we were younger, a guy did this. Take a look.’ Bill Nuss 21 Jump Street Producer, You have to understand what it's like for 10,000 or 25,000 people to yell your name. Think about it for a minute. Then think of what it is like for Johnny Depp. I think it scares him sometimes. But I think he senses a responsibility to these people. He doesn't want to appear irresponsible. ................................. O Quotes by: Lena Olin Chocolat and The Ninth Gate co-star Johnny is a very sweet person and fun to be around. [In response to a question about kissing her co-stars] Kissing someone you don't feel for is unpleasant. Many, however, were very pleasant. Like Johnny Depp. I don't think a lot of women would have a problem kissing him. [Laughs heartily] He's a good friend of ours, by the way. [Lena is married to Lasse Hallstrom, who directed What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Chocolat.] He's not exactly in the Connecticut neighborhood a lot, since he lives in France, but we often see each other at the Oscars and film events.   ................................. P Quotes by: Al Pacino Donnie Brasco co-star  He's done so many interesting parts over the years that he got a reputation for being quirky, but he really wasn't. He's a fine actor. Johnny has incredible instincts. He's able to put himself into the head of his character and vary his level according to the needs of each scene.  That's a very rare gift.   I like him. He knows what he is doing, and he is easy to be around. Depp is a lot better actor than he is given credit for. Geraldine Pailhas co-star, Don Juan DeMarco, We were like kids on the beach. Johnny gives a lot, and he knows how to listen. I really had his eyes, you know. Very pure, very special. Martyn Palmer journalist, If you talk to the people who work with Depp—like Marc Forster, the director of Finding Neverland, Kate Winslet, others on the small-budget British movie The Libertine in which he plays the mad, bad Earl of Rochester—they will all say the same thing. Depp is quiet, kind and funny. And he hates being a movie star [. . .] He strikes you as a very gentle soul. Quotes; by: Sarah Jessica Parker Ed Wood co-star, He doesn’t belong in show business . . . he belongs somewhere better. He's the star, but he's always running around asking if you need water or anything. And not just with me, but with the crew. He asks them if he can help carry cable. Johnny has a very wise spirit, and he pays no heed to things that don’t matter. He is internal in a way that is reflective but not isolating. He’s a gentle, lovely person. And when I think of those things that have been written in the papers about him recently, it’s as if they’re talking about a totally different person. Amy Paschal Columbia Pictures chairman I'm so jealous I can't even think about it. I would give anything to make that movie with Tim and Johnny. [Charlie and the Chocolate Factory] Bernadette Peters Broadway star, speaking of Johnny's Actor's Fund Award What an actor he is! I just love everything he does. I loved Sleepy Hollow. Quotes by: Rosamund Pike The Libertine co-star  He is the most amazing actor I've ever worked with. I felt very, very free with him. We had some very traumatic, violent scenes in which the director wanted us to push everything to the limit. I felt sick with worry the morning of shooting. I guess I drew on all the experiences of love I'd ever had. There were no rehearsals. It was very exciting.   He's so brilliant to work with, so exciting, you believe in him so much as a character. It made my job very easy. He's like the coolest kid in school. You want to be in his gang. His whole lifestyle is kind of wonderful. He travels with this big group of people. He's like a gypsy. His caravan is always filled with his friends, playing guitar and painting. You want to be in the band. The guys who look after the trailers were like, ‘How do we clean in there?’ because he covered it with drapes and candles, just covered every available surface. Quotes by: Joe Pistone the real Donnie Brasco He was so concerned that I was all right with it, he would ring me all the time and say ‘Would you do this or would you say that?’  And then when it was finished he refused to go and see it until I could go with him.  Most actors wouldn't care; they would just grab the money and run.  But he's not like that. I only knew the guy from what I read in the papers—you know, about hotel rooms and that stuff—but he is nothing like that.  Johnny is a really nice guy. He brought a sensitivity to the part. That's a side of me that a lot of people don't see. It was amazing. A lot of times during the shoot, I'd close my eyes and say, ‘Christ, that's me talking!’   David Poland movie critic, reviewing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Johnny Depp has become this generation's Alec Guinness—which is massive praise just stopping with that—but with movie star looks. His performance here, much of which Burton captures in extreme close-up, giving Depp's ticks full control on long comic beats, is simply as good as it gets. Depp gives another Oscar worthy performance, which was in many ways more challenging than his brilliant turn in Pirates of the Caribbean, since here so much of it is in small beats and without the fun of buckling his swash. Wonka's tone is absolutely critical and Depp walked the tightrope with Wallenda-level skill. Quotes by: Roman Polanski director, The Ninth Gate Johnny always sounds right when he says a line. He never sounds phony, there's never a wrong tone in his delivery. Johnny has an extraordinary and spontaneous way of giving his own rhythm to a character. It seems quite natural for him, and you never feel like he's making any effort what so ever. It's almost fascinating, because he comes on the set and does his thing almost casually, which doesn't prevent him from being very accurate. His work was brilliant, because the Corso you see on the screen is exactly the one I had in mind before hiring Johnny. It's rare that you find such a good looking man with his abilities. His physique is his greatest asset—it's almost a teenager's body, in fact. Those delicate hands, a musician's handshake . . . and this puerile streak in him. You look at him sometimes and think, ‘How old are you?’   Acting is very easy for Johnny. You never see him rehearse his lines. He comes to the set very relaxed and fulfills his task. This was very stimulating. He was interested in old books in any case. He read some of them before the shooting. After that he just put on his costume. I asked him all the time: ‘What do you think of this? If you think it's good, I think that too,’ was his laconic reply. Concerning his glasses, I explained to him that I wanted him to wear real glasses, because they give a person a different kind of look in the eyes. When he tried them on, he screamed that they made him blind. I insisted on him playing the role like that. Luckily he accepted and for the whole movie he wore glasses through which he actually saw nothing.   Franka Potente Blow co-star  I have to tell you that I only knew Johnny Depp from his other movies, which I loved. I loved the fact that he chose to do movies that he wanted to be proud of. What I wasn't prepared for was how quiet and humble and funny he was. He is the star of the movie, and he had the weight of the film on his shoulders, but he was always very concerned about my performance and helping me and trying to make me feel relaxed. ................................. Q Aidan Quinn Benny & Joon co-star  I thought Johnny Depp's performance was terrific, still do. At the time we made the movie, he was a question mark in a lot of ways as an actor—would he go this way? would he go that way?—but you watch him in that movie, and you try to forget all that tabloid junk for a minute, and you'll see an actor who is deeply committed to being the best actor he can be. ................................. R Rand Ravich writer and director, The Astronaut's Wife  Anyway, toward the end, they're back in their cold New York apartment, and they're having this kind of man-woman showdown, and Johnny came up to me and said, ‘I'm going to try something.’ The cameras started to roll, and he unleashed something on the set that was like lightning. He unloaded on her verbally, using most of the words of the script, but adding to them and changing them. After it was over, everyone just sat around with their mouths open—it was a true moment of horror. That's Johnny's talent: He's able to go inside and find something raw and bring it out, but in a controlled way. It was a scary thing—he had definitely been in touch with something inside him that was real raw human energy. But it didn't get away from him. He brought it out and shaped it and controlled it. It was an amazing moment. Johnny Depp is, in my mind, the best actor of his generation. I felt that he would bring the necessary element to the role of Spencer Armacost: truth. Kelly Reilly The Libertine co-star I was so nervous, really scared, but Johnny was very well prepared and tremendous to work with—a consummate film actor, although he loves to have fun. He arrived on the first day knowing exactly what he was going to do with the role. Oh, he's lovely, a really lovely man. He's a sensational actor—I'm desperate to see him do some stage work, but I think that he feels film is his true metier. And, of course, he's right. But he has this joy, this glint in his eye, and a mysterious edge. Gloria Reuben Nick of Time co-star, He's a Gemini—very sensitive, a little shy and very funny. If he wanted to trash a hotel room with me in it, that would be just fine . . . Quotes by: Christina Ricci and Johnny Depp Sleepy Hollow co-stars Christina: Johnny's horse in Sleepy Hollow gives you hours of amusement. Johnny loses it every time the horse farts. Johnny: Yeah, and the horse farts constantly. I take it as a statement about movies in general. She just doesn't give a shit about what's going on. She farts constantly and shits all over the set. [smiles ] I like that horse very, very much. He's always been a bit of a rebel and done whatever he wants to. That's very sexy. I'm sure he's even going to be sexy as Willy Wonka. Quotes by: Keith Richards Guitar World On his reaction to Johnny’s performance as Captain Jack Sparrow, supposedly inspired by himself: I saw the movie and I thought, hey, he got me down pretty good. He has a lovely guitar collection, by the way. He's got stuff from the 17th, 18th century. First guitar or something. Amazing stuff. He's a player. Anna Richardson interviewer, Johnny Depp From Hell I'd go to hell and back for that bloke. Let me tell you: he is SO gorgeous!! Quotes by: John Richardson writer-at-large, Esquire Magazine, on his meeting with Johnny for the May 2004 issue  He's smaller than me. A bit fine-boned, I suppose, but not dramatically so. He has a way of huddling down under his hat and his totems. But when the camera was on him, some of the times, he kind of beamed Johnny out. It was striking, like one of those magic powers in those hobbit movies.   I don't think the nice-guy thing is constructed. It's intentional, but not constructed. He definitely seems to have a sense of decency and egalitarianism. This came through for me strongest when, at the photo shoot, I talked to his makeup artist. She's been with him since Arizona Dream, and she wasn't any glamorous, fabulous person . . . a little socially awkward, a real person. He was not . . . chatty, but seemed happy to talk. He seemed to like talking about the boring stuff—kids, computers, Django Reinhart—but also seemed happy enough to talk about the career stuff, although I noticed that he steered it in several directions, subtly—one, mentioning the horror of the Jump Street-celebrity experience, and two, praising other people. He loves to praise other people. I liked talking about music with him, Django and swing and such. I liked his little ironic remarks. Lots of those. He knows the names of famous bookbinders. And he has a very sweet affect that's touching and pleasing.   Anna Sophia Robb Charlie and the Chocolate Factory co-star  He's a very sweet man. He's very quiet and he loves his children. He brought them on the set and played with them quite a bit. And he's an amazing actor to watch because he makes it seem so effortless. He can snap in and out of his character just like that. He's also not afraid to take risks. Quotes by: Gregory David Roberts Writer of Shantaram All of Johnny's fans will be delighted but not surprised to hear that he's just about the nicest guy on the goddamn planet. He's generous, considerate, modest, brave, intelligent, good-hearted, creative, funny, gentle, wise, loving, loyal, hard-working, and almost unbearably cool. Watching him work, on the set of Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was an education in itself. The total professional, Johnny puts passion and intensity into every take, and is always in the moment. No less important, it seemed to me, was the way that he brought so much affectionate communication to every other actor in each scene, and extended that warmth to every member of the crew. It was a happy, positive set, and I put that down to Johnny's art, and his good heart, and to the sensitive brilliance of his friend, the wonderful Tim Burton. He is an almost unbearably cool human being. Apart from my dad and my brother, he's the nicest guy I've ever met.   There is this pitching process that actors and producers do. I met the four actors who wanted to play this part: Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Russell Crowe. I spoke to them on the telephone; I spoke to their producers on the telephone. They pitch to you on the phone. Then you hold the auction. They are hoping that they have persuaded you before the auction, to accept your bid even if it's a lower bid. I came down for the auction. The morning the auction was going to be held, I came to the office and said I've already picked Johnny Depp. They asked why. I said, ‘Because he's the only one who has been talking to me about India. The others seem to think that India and the Indian people are not even a part of this project. So Depp, I think, will be able to bring the right heart into this project.’  And it turned out that his was the highest bid. When you're writing a book it's a question of what you put in. When you're writing a screenplay, it's a question of what you leave out. I was more savage with that than Johnny was. He was saying, ‘No, no, no, you can't leave that out, I love that part,’ so we had quite spirited discussions about it.   Holly Robinson 21 Jump Street Co-Star, He is one of the coolest people I know. On the set, he's a different guy than what you see in public. He plays guitar. He's the leader of the Jump Street garage band. We have water pistol fights. That's Johnny Depp. Jean Rochefort The Man Who Killed Don Quixote co-star Johnny developed a strange empathy for my position during filming. I had a trailer that was a lot smaller than his. He demanded that I would get one that was at least as big as his. I was lying in the back of an ambulance that took me back to the nearest town, when I saw an incredible convoy with their headlights on: it was the trailer. Quotes by: Robert Rodriguez Director/Producer/Writer/Composer, Once Upon a Time in Mexico The best written part was that character. [Sands] It was amazing to see how he took it to another 10 levels. If he'd just come in and played it right off the page, it would have been a great part, but he really gave it another life. I knew I'd get along with Johnny really well, because he's as paranoid of a dad as me. He brought bottled water because he didn't want his daughter to get sick. Guys cursed with imaginations can imagine the worst things happening to their children. Johnny’s character [CIA Agent Sands] is very edgy, and you have to have an actor who’s willing to embrace that, because so many actors don’t want to come in and be unlikable. But Johnny didn’t seem to care about that as long as the character was interesting. What’s funny is that, no matter how vile we made him, Johnny still has this incredible likeable nature, so the character still ends up being sympathetic. I don’t think you can really hate a Johnny Depp character, no matter how rotten he may be . . . Johnny took someone you should despise and gave the audience a conflicting interest in him so that, by the end, they’re actually cheering for him. It was interesting to watch an unredeemable character eventually become redeemable. He isn't interested in stardom. I don't think he's ever needed it or ever wanted it. Johnny Depp is a very musical character. He would listen to the Sergio Leone stuff before making a take, to get himself into character. When I got to the set, I realized all my actors were musicians—Johnny, Antonio, Ruben. So I threw it out there on the set and said, ‘I'm going to be doing the score, and you are all musicians. And since you're all going to be co-creating the characters, why don't you give me a piece of music that represents this character.’ So I got music from everybody. And Johnny wrote a full piece, because that was his idea of who his character was. And I took that and orchestrated it.   What's great about Johnny is sometimes he'd do a scene and I'd go: ‘Is that in the script?’ It was in the script but it seemed foreign even to me, who wrote it, because he makes everything seem really fresh and odd. Jonathan Ross co-star Pirates of the Caribbean John Christopher Depp II—or Johnny Depp, as he's better known to his legion of fans and admirers—is so cool, well, frankly it's almost physically painful for me to talk about him. But, you know the coolest thing about Johnny Depp? The one cool thing—over and above the many great movies he's made, and the way he looks on camera? The coolest thing of all is the fact that he really couldn't care less about being cool. Now, that's cool. Quotes by: Terry Rossio writer, Pirates trilogy, Talking with Johnny Depp about the Jack Sparrow character and whether he needs to change in the course of the trilogy. ‘Bugs Bunny never changed,’ Johnny said, ‘and it never stopped working.’ Which led to a debate on whether Indiana Jones ever changed, or James Bond, did Rick in Casablanca change or was the character merely revealed . . . I accompanied Johnny on a flight from the Bahamas to New York in his private jet, which is very luxurious. I asked the stewardess for a chewing gum and I got presented 12 different gums on a silver plate as if they were precious jewelry. Donna Roth producer, Benny & Joon There is something magical about Johnny, there is no doubt about it. The first time we met him, it was like meeting a blind date at the front door and discovering ‘My God, he is so wonderful.’ Quotes by: Geoffrey Rush Pirates co-star He's so good-looking and he's a highly unpredictable and quite genius-type actor. He's so irreverent, so playful, so surprising on screen. Jack is probably the pirate that everyone wants to be; he is freewheeling, he is absolutely his own man, he's hilarious—he's like Johnny. It was extraordinary to watch Johnny create this character. It was such a cool performance, very masterfully done. He is a brilliant actor.   Someone like Johnny is a great team leader . . . it's great not to have a diva. It's great to have someone who's very laid-back, very playful . . . he's probably the only person who dares to ad-lib. A lot of what he throws in makes it into the final mix. Jack Sparrow is some crazy part of Johnny's brain. [In response to being asked about favorite actors he has worked with] And Johnny Depp, we've been together for four-and-a-half years now on these films; he's one of the great character actors in a leading man's body who constantly surprises himself and his audience with his capabilities and imagination.   Johnny's the coolest dude on Earth . . . besides maybe Keith Richards. He's an actor of such oblique approach to any given project; he always does something that no one's done before. With the pirate thing, you expect someone to be a bit like Barbossa, because he's historical—it goes back to Basil Rathbone or Robert Newton, the golden age of Hollywood villainy. But Jack Sparrow is not what anyone expected—[Depp] approaches it as a great actor. He's also a very cunning craftsman. He knows how to give you the fun of the character in the wide shots, and then he has these little internal moments in the close-ups. I always felt a bit like a piece of industrial machinery next to his efforts. I'm Johnny's biggest fan. I was having a conversation with someone the other day and saying, “Do you know anyone in all of Hollywood history who's had the kind of independent, idiosyncratic, chameleon-like character actor career that Johnny Depp's got?” He brings all of that into this big pop, commercial film as Jack, and in the meantime goes off and does Finding Neverland and The Libertine, and now Sweeney Todd! If you look back on old Hollywood, I can't think of anyone who was that sort of model good-looking, Hollywood star who happened to be a brilliant character actor. I've been lucky because I do regard myself as a slightly aging character and I've been able to be in scenes with delightful women, like Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, Salma Hayek, Goldie Hawn . . . It's been a perk of the job. And the prettiest of all, of course, was Johnny Depp.   ................................. S Mark Salisbury So Thursday night in London was Sweeney Todd’s European Premiere and the third time I’d seen the film. It really does get better and better, and, as I’ve said here before, Depp’s performance feels even more magnificent the more times you see it. He does so much by doing (seemingly) so little. I know that awards shouldn’t be the definition of a great performance but it would, to my mind, be a crying shame if he didn’t win the Oscar this year. James Sanford Kalamazoo Gazette Is Johnny Depp incapable of being boring? Regardless of what kind of material he tackles, the man always seems to come up with a compelling, or at least an offbeat performance. Paul Scheer on the VH-1 series The Best Week Ever Describing the character of Victor Van Dort in Tim Burton’s animated film Corpse Bride:  “Here’s a little fact . . . that’s actually Johnny Depp, not claymation. He’s that good.” Julian Schnabel director, Before Night Falls  I don't know that he knows how good he is in that movie. He was great. I mean he really looked great in that underwear. I mean it was just, you know, shooting going up his ass and up his back and his hair, you started thinking about Marilyn Monroe, when he had red hair, he looked like Sophia Loren. Johnny could not have been cooler about the whole thing—I told him what I wanted him to do, and he did it. He really loved the story we were telling and wanted to help get it told. I really admire him for it and really am grateful that he took the time to work with me on this. Johnny was doing two other movies at the same time, but he showed up in the middle of all that. And, he wouldn't let me pay for anything, either. I mean he worked for free, and he said just put it on the screen.   Joel Schumacher executive producer, Slow Burn, He had that demeanor, like James Dean—now I know how much of a cliché that is, but it happens to be true in some cases. He is a very cool guy without putting much effort into being cool. He seemed to have an attitude that he was applying himself but that an acting career really didn't matter to him all that much, yet you could see it in his face that he was well read, well prepared, and giving the job every due diligence. It comes as no surprise to me that all these A-list directors now want to work with him—I would love to work with him again. Jonathan Shaw close friend and tattoo artist  [Speaking about the security guard from the Mark Hotel incident] It seemed like this guy couldn't stand Johnny. Johnny dressed in leather and jeans and not all fancy like everybody else in the joint. Michael Singer Unit Publicist for the second two Pirates movies, and author of Bring Me That Horizon On set, Depp projects a warm, gentle kindness and accessibility that mark him as the true Kentucky gentleman and terrifically devoted family man that he is. His natural charisma also illuminated the proceedings with a special light that created a unique atmosphere whenever he was working. Or, is that Captain Jack Sparrow's charisma? Because in the middle of a workday, it was impossible for anyone—perhaps himself least of all—to know where Johnny Depp ended and Captain Jack began, and vice versa. For the nearly two-year period between the start of production on Dead Man's Chest to the final wrap of At World's End, Johnny Depp's smile was the same as Captain Jack's, with the character's trademark gold and silver teeth bonded onto his own. Kenn Smiley Don Juan deMarco wardrobe person, Johnny is so totally different from most actors. He really likes who he is, and he is really secure in that. He treats people the way he wants to be treated. That's why we all stay with him. Quotes by: Stephen Sondheim Composer of Sweeney Todd Johnny Depp’s performance is quite remarkable. Sweeney’s desire for revenge and the simmering anger and hurt that he feels carry the story forward, and Johnny finds the most remarkable variety within that narrow set of emotions. The intensity is at a boil all the time and he never drops it. It’s real anger. He came from a rock band and even though he was not a lead singer, I knew he was musical just from that. I also knew that he was intelligent enough from talking to him, that he would not play this part unless he could handle it vocally. I knew he was not about to get up there and have to have his voice dubbed or come off croaking. So Johnny Depp casted Johnny Depp. I trusted him entirely. I knew that he was no fool and he would only do it if he felt he could handle it. I told him to listen to the score carefully and if you can handle it, fine by me, and I was right.   Johnny’s performance is extraordinary. Sweeney’s desire for revenge and the simmering anger and hurt he feels carry the story forward, and Johnny finds the most remarkable variety within that narrow set of emotions. The intensity is at a boil all the time and he never drops it.   Timothy Spall actor, Sweeney Todd, What better then a Victorian Opera about a serial killer directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp! Johnny was fantastic. I took my youngest daughter, who is 22, in on my last day of filming. He is a God to her, and he was so sweet to her. He chatted and kissed her good bye. He is so lovely and a bloody brilliant actor. He was delightful, as was Helena Bonham Carter. It was a fantastic experience.   Ben Stiller The big-name stars . . . are always going to be playing what they've played before if they want to remain so-called A-list stars. That's why someone like Johnny Depp is doing more interesting roles not caring about the size of the movie. ................................. T Quotes by: Charles Taylor contributing writer, salon.com   I know that Johnny Depp must open his mouth when he speaks, but after I've seen one of his performances, I can barely remember his lips moving: Everything he communicates seems to come from his eyes. And it's not that his line readings are inexpressive. Often, though, Depp uses his husky, shallow voice for line readings so hesitant—hushed, almost—that they seem a mere echo of what you can read already in his huge, dark eyes. Depp's best moments are when the camera just looks at him: in his first shot as he peeps over the top of Robert Benayoun's book "The Look of Buster Keaton," or, in a moment to treasure near the end, as he swings past a second-story window and, with gallant nonchalance, doffs his top hat to the lady inside.   Johnny Depp is a constant reminder of the joys and perils of being a critic. When Depp began trying to build a career in movies, fresh from 21 Jump Street, most critics treated him as a joke because he was a teen idol and a TV actor. The body of work Depp has been building, each part chosen with an eye toward stretching himself, reminds us that one of the chief pleasures the movies offer is the surprise discovering a performer’s possibilities—and the impossibility of predicting what they’ll be. , Lili Taylor Arizona Dream co-star, You know, he does have a temper: don't get me wrong. But the temper and the bad boy are very different things. And it's like: If you attempt to take something away from him, or attempt to cross his dream in a way, he'll fight! He will. Quotes by: Charlize Theron The Astronaut's Wife co-star There is nothing about working with Johnny as an actor that . . . um . . . starts to feel really comfortable or kind of falls into a rhythm, which is what I think makes him so brilliant. He would deliver a line and every single time it would have a different rhythm or a different . . . anything. Which is so incredible to work with because, for me, acting is really listening and responding to what somebody is giving you. He is a really gorgeous man, but he is also a wonderful, instinctive actor. I loved watching him work, watching him layering on the complexities of his character. Caroline Thompson writer, Edward Scissorhands Johnny was always the passive centre of the activity swirling around him. Ed Wood was a departure for him, it seems to me, to the extent that he was the initiator and the enthusiast and the force behind all the activity going on in the movie. And it was a completely different kind of role for him.   Quotes by: Hunter S. Thompson Writer and Friend I noticed at once that Depp had a dangerously energized intelligence . . . He was a suave little brute, but he had a wicked sense of humor and a rare instinct for escalation. I didn't know Johnny Depp could act until he played me. What I like about Johnny is he follows his own thing, sometimes to an almost crazy extent. (He mentions how one winter night Depp took the writer's vintage fire apple red convertible and drove it from Colorado to Las Vegas.) It was 15 degrees out and the convertible top was broken. And he drove that sonuvabitch from here to Las Vegas with the top down. He was determined . . . . I like the way he approached the bombs and I liked the way he wanted to take the convertible in a blizzard to Vegas.   Nick Tosches writer and friend Johnny Depp is, to me, a rare kindred spirit with like sensibilities, who has escaped the beast. He's probably one of the few people that have survived Los Angeles as a human being. Franziska Troegner Charlie and the Chocolate Factory co-star Yes, he even knows some German nuggets—“Have a nice evening; Have a nice weekend; Do you think I shit money?”  Yes, he really said it. There had been a mention in the tabloid press a short while ago that he would have paid 440 Euros for a bottle of wine. One day he came to us and said . . . abruptly, “Do you think I shit money?” I almost rolled on the floor laughing. John Turturro Secret Window co-star, Johnny is very easy to work with and very generous. There is a real ease to his performance style. David Koepp gave us a lot of room to do our thing, and anything you throw at Johnny, he quickly catches and tosses back at you. He's very intuitive and inventive. As a performer, it's a big advantage to enjoy a common comfort zone with a fellow actor. We definitely had that. Johnny also has a great sense of humor. We enjoy some common interests and we've worked with directors with similar sensibilities. I've always enjoyed his performances and was happy to have the chance to work with him again. ................................. U Bernard Usher actor, Sweeney Todd Johnny Depp is such a nice guy. During rehearsal he was moving around near me. I looked at him as if to say, “What are you doing?” He said, “I’m just making sure I don’t block your light.” There aren’t many actors who would worry about that.   Joe Utichi exclusive interview with Johnny Depp Johnny Depp has always been a star. Tim Burton's go-to guy has won universal acclaim for a string of wonderful and original performances in films like Edward Scissorhands, Blow and Sleepy Hollow. But, without question, it was taking on the mantle of Captain Jack Sparrow that made Depp the biggest movie star in the world. ................................. V Casper Van Dien Sleepy Hollow co-star, He is so professional. He comes and does his stuff, then he snaps out of it. Some actors like to stay in character, but he doesn't have to. He's very generous and giving, but he also likes to keep to himself a lot of the time. I had a lot of respect for him beforehand, and that has only increased. I really appreciate the choices he's made as an actor. Ab Van Ieperen VRIJ Nederland, If I hadn't been told that he just woke up, I would have believed that Johnny Depp has put hours of work into his bag lady disguise. The long hair with shades of blond seems not to have been in contact with comb or shampoo for a long time. The clothes put on at random show signs of extreme wear, the chains and charms he's wearing weigh one kilogram at least. And yet the effect is that Depp seems too beautiful to be true. Even if only a fraction of the stories about his life are right, at 38 he looks miraculously perfect and alive and kicking. Johnny Vegas The Libertine co-star Mr. Depp is very sociable. But it's virtually impossible to go out with him. Obviously we had the wrap party and we had a few parties at people's flats that we all went to. But if you went into town he would just get mobbed. Do you know the Father Ted episode where all the old women go mad? Like that. It's funny because when people do see him they just come up to him, stand about two yards away and stare. You're thinking, ‘You must be able to think of something to say.’ But they just stare, it's really weird. Quotes by: Gore Verbinski Director of Pirates of the Caribbean 1-2-3    He's a brilliant actor. He's not out to create a fan base for himself, or to simply select work based on salary. He is a virtuoso. It is like having Miles Davis in your band and you have got to let him go solo. The storyboards can be a funny image and then you put Johnny into it and he makes it his own. As soon as Johnny came on, everyone looked at it a little differently. Johnny brings a credibility, and other actors started to go, ‘Well, wait a minute, maybe I will read the script and take this offer seriously.’ He's such a piece of garlic in the soup, you know. You need seven straight men around him. He has to rub against a series of archetypes and a series of plot constructs. You almost have to make the movie without him and then put him in. It's such a piquant performance you need some broth to put it into. I've always wanted to work with him, and ah, he's, he's a pirate, you know, he's just, he's the ultimate pirate. Chuck Viane distribution chief for Disney   You have to give all the credit in the world to Johnny. He's created a character people want to dress like, be like. They can't get enough of him. ................................. W Christopher Walken co-star, Nick of Time Very Playful is what good actors are, and Depp is wonderful. Between takes we were always having fun. Quotes by: John Waters director, Cry-Baby, I’m not sure he looks in his mailbox—I’m not sure he participates in the mail.   Halfway through writing it [Cry-Baby] I thought, ‘Oh God, who’s gonna play this?’ I went and bought all the teen magazines—everything that he hates—and saw him and thought he’d be perfect for it. So I called him and said ‘I have this movie about a juvenile delinquent whose father got the electric chair’—I didn’t try to make it sound normal. And he really laughed; he liked my old stuff, too. I just wanted to make sure he had a sense of humor. He did this one little sneer in our first meeting which summed it all up, and I knew that, hey, Johnny Depp is Cry-Baby.   He looked good under arrest. I loved the handcuffs.   They made a big deal out of that [arrest at the Mark Hotel] only because he looked SO good under arrest in that hat—you know the great hat that he has on when they lead him out—great shoes, he looked really handsome under arrest! And it was a great picture! That's why it became such a huge media sensation. Johnny invented grunge. I don't remember a movie star with that look before him. Nobody looks better in rags.   Johnny Depp's future, I think, is a long, long career; ageing gracefully; working with the great directors. I mean, he's working with Polanski now. I mean, I almost could have predicted that—what a great match! He's going to do Tim Burton's movie with Christina Ricci. The next two projects he's got coming up, right there, are with really strong directors with huge bodies of work. And that's what attracts Johnny Depp to a project; and that's the same way why the directors want to work with Johnny Depp: because of his body of work. And I think he brings to any project prestige, and really, really, talent, that very few actors have in Hollywood today. First of all, Johnny is a pirate in real life. It's the closest part he's ever played to his real self, but the fact that he played it kind of nelly was a big risk. A Broadway version of Cry-Baby is in the offing, with newcomer James Snyder handling the title role. “I just saw one of their rehearsals and it’s going great,” Waters said. “We didn’t want someone who was going to do an imitation of Johnny Depp. On the other hand, it’s impossible to be too much like Johnny Depp; I think he’s one of Hollywood’s all-time renaissance men.”     Albert Watson Photographer, Rolling Stone,  [Regarding the photoshoot for the February 10, 2005 Rolling Stone cover—Johnny didn't want a hairstylist or a makeup artist. Depp walked in the studio, chose a shirt and was ready to go.] He's devilishly good looking. He just comes in. He's himself. He had a cowboy hat on, and he's easygoing. It didn't matter what he was wearing. Depp is a great beauty. He does everything he can to break that beauty down a little bit. But everything he does just makes him more interesting-looking. Bernard Weinraub With his public persona, I didn't know what to expect. He comes across as a way-out guy, but he's not like that at all. He's friendly, very easy to talk to, quite down-to-earth and real. Although he wants to separate his private life as much as he can now that he has two children, he was willing to talk about pretty much anything. He seemed like a really smart guy. Harvey Weinstein Head of Miramax I think he's probably the premier actor of his day. I think he's been frozen out for years. I think he was looked at as too risky for a lot of the top stuff. A lot of people are going to be kissing his butt now. But what they don't understand about Johnny is that he can smell BS 10 miles away. The same guys who a year ago were saying ‘Him? Are you kidding? He's box office poison’ now [think] he's the hottest thing in the universe.   Johnny's character in The Libertine is multifaceted and he conveys the complexities with brilliance. He is a true master and his performance in this film is outstanding.   Chuck E. Weiss Details interview, I would say he’s one of those people who doesn’t fit in this era. His standards and integrity are different. He’s sort of a backlash to technology. Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman The Brave co-star At first, I thought Johnny was taking on more than he could handle with The Brave. I had only seen one other guy who directed and acted in the same film. That was Kevin Costner in Dances With Wolves, but I saw Kevin break a couple of times and tear after someone and get angry. I didn't see that in Johnny. He goes beyond getting angry. He likes off-center, arty roles as an actor, and he is that way in his personality too.   Quotes by: Kate Winslet co-star, Finding Neverland Johnny is such a gentleman, and he's so funny. He has a really British sense of humor—he's like a European in an American skin. And he's ridiculously gorgeous. It's preposterous, actually. I would say to him, ‘Do you drink alcohol?’ And he'd say, ‘Yeah,’ and look at me like I had six heads. And I'd say, ‘Your skin!’ He has incredible skin! You know I wish I could tell you some kind of outrageous bad story or weird little anecdote about Johnny Depp, but he's an utter pleasure. I mean he was wonderful, he has a great sense of humor and he's a dad so he was very sort of hands on with the boys, and we were like a pack of big kids together, you know. He was great fun. In fact there was one scene where my family, my children and myself are invited to his house for dinner, and the scene is supposed to be kind of fraught with tension and the boys are trying to be poised and correct at the table, and they are supposed to be giggling at how uncomfortable the situation is. How do you just tell a child to just laugh on camera? Johnny Depp comes to work with a fart machine which he rigged up underneath Julie Christie's chair at the table, and he was in control of the button. So, throughout the scene, as far as the boys were concerned, Julie Christie was just spontaneously farting. I cannot tell you, I thought the littlest one was going to fall off his chair—he was in hysterics. It was very funny, so that's basically Johnny Depp for you in a nutshell.   Johnny was wearing a dinner jacket with an old fashioned breast front. I don't know what you actually call those things, but with a very tight collar, and we were doing this scene and Johnny is talking through all his dialogue and turning round looking for people like this. And I said, ‘Have you done something to your neck?’ And he said, ‘No, it's just that my collar is quite tight . . .’ And I said, ‘Well we need to get somebody to come and help you with this thing.’ And he was like, ‘No, no I don't want to make any fuss.’ And he didn't do anything. And I swear to God he did the whole scene like this, hardly moving his neck because he was in agony with this collar, and he could hardly breathe, but he just didn't want to cause any problems, didn't want to adjust the atmosphere of the set and I just completely loved him from that moment on. I thought what a gentleman, what a pro. Jessica Winter National Film Theatre of the British Film Institute, Depp has mapped out one of the most idiosyncratic resumes on moviedom's A-list, channelling his charisma into audaciously stylised performances for Tim Burton, Jim Jarmusch and Terry Gilliam, exploiting or camouflaging his preposterous beauty as the part requires, and amassing a repertoire of accents to rival Meryl Streep's. Now that he has a mega-grossing franchise under his belt (Pirates of the Caribbean), there's no one currently on the Hollywood radar to match Depp's combination of star power with adventurous taste, cockeyed integrity and flair for the without-a-net performance. Jayne Wisener costar, Sweeney Todd, The first day I met him was quite late on, and I built myself up for it so much, because, obviously, I’ve been in love with him my whole life. Haven’t we all? The day I saw him for the first time though, I was dressed as a boy. I didn’t even have a nice dress, or anything like that. I was literally hiding from the guy, and then Colleen Atwood, the dress designer, brought me over to Johnny, and said, “You haven’t met Jayne yet, she plays your daughter.” And he said, “Hi, I’m Johnny, it’s lovely to meet you.” And I said something that wasn’t actually English. I was struck by Johnny’s focus, you know. He’s very relaxed when he’s not shooting, but as soon as he goes in front of the camera, his concentration is so intense. It’s really exciting to watch. It was a real lesson for me. He’s like a dancer, so precise and beautiful to watch.   Kevin Woodford TV chef We film at Pinewood next to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. One day this American comes over and starts telling me how he lives in France and is addicted to walnut mustard and is there anywhere he can buy it in the UK. I politely told him I had no idea. Later someone said, 'You do realize that was Johnny Depp, don't you?' ................................. Y Dan Yakir Sky Magazine, The first thing I notice when I meet Depp in his mid-Manhattan hotel is his hair. Where are the shoulder-length locks that have graced the covers of a thousand magazines and made Depp into an X-generation hero? Johnny Depp with short hair is somehow a very different person—not, maybe, quite so different as a cross-dressing 40s B-movie director, which is what he's currently playing in Tim Burton's new movie, Ed Wood, but different nonetheless. Patty York Don Juan deMarco makeup artist He was so generous and happy that he would give you the shirt right off his back. And I do mean that; he came into the makeup trailer for his daily regimen, and I commented to him that I liked his shirt. He took it off and gave it to me. ................................. Z Quotes ;by: Stephanie Zacharek Salon.com, April 2001   Johnny Depp, so often described as androgynously beautiful, is really more like a male cat, a creature so sure of himself that his more masculine traits aren't the first things you notice about him. You can see it in the way he underplays every role. Sometimes you look at him and you think he's not doing much at all; then you realize that what he's doing is so economical and so understated that you can't afford to take your eyes off him for an instant. He wastes no line, expression or arc of movement. Like those ancient inky creatures painted on Japanese scrolls with just two or three strokes, he's both the suggestion and the essence of feline masculinity, all implied muscle and Zen intelligence.   In his recent review of Blow, New Yorker critic David Denby lauded Depp, even as he lamented that he's never quite broken through. But I'd argue that Depp has broken through again and again, so many times that it's hard to pinpoint one definable pinnacle of glory. His subtlety is his strong suit. His star power isn't the same brand that Julia Roberts has; there's no false flashiness to him. He'll never be the flavor of the month, because there's no month big enough to hold him. Quotes by: Richard D. Zanuck, producer, Sweeney Todd, Johnny Depp, who may be the biggest star in the world today, thanks mostly to the Caribbean picture, is an actor who takes chances, will go way out there, as he did in Pirates, and explore a character that other actors would shy away from. We have Johnny Depp at his best. Willy Wonka has always been a very eccentric character, but you put Johnny Depp in his shoes and he becomes even more eccentric. Johnny and Tim are like any good team with almost an unspoken way of doing things, and can practically read each other’s minds. Johnny looks to Tim for guidance, and Tim looks to Johnny for taking what he has outlined and pushing it a little further. It’s a deep friendship, and they’re both lovely people, fun to work with and hard-working. And they’re both at the top of their game. So the combination is wonderful in terms of freshness and inventiveness. Johnny in front of his victims with the razor is almost like a ballet dancer, dancing around them.  .................................	oo