Johnny Depp is considered to be one of the best actors in Hollywood. Over the last four decades, the actor successfully reigned over the entertainment industry. Since he started acting in 1984, Johnny Depp has never failed to amaze the audience with his acting prowess. The three time Academy Award nominee has proven his abilities through a long list of filmography.
With his impressive acting skills, one might wonder how he does it and how he gets into his characters. The actor reveals his unusual method into acting as well as the most challenging film he’s ever done.
Johnny Depp Has A Certain Method In Portraying His Characters
Johnny Depp isn’t the type who buries himself too much in a role, he isn’t the typical method actor. His approach to acting deals with the role in a more instinctive and playful manner. There are certain flashes of images every time he reads a script which helps him play the character better.
During his interview with Independent UK, he revealed, “When I read a script, I start to get flashes of imagery. It may be a person I’ve known in my life. In Edward Scissorhands, it was a dog that I had had as a child. These images arrive. That’s really the basis. If I am guilty of one thing in my work in any situation, especially the heavier, is that I have a tendency to lean toward humor.”
In his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in the film Pirates of the Caribbean, he revealed that he based his character on the image of Keith Richards. He said, “If you think about the early 18th century, it took the pirates months and months to get across the sea. Meanwhile, their reputation arrived years before they did.”
He continued, “Blackbeard was well known infinitely before he arrived in North Carolina… he was feared, he was respected, he had such a reputation. I thought that’s exactly the rock’n’roll star’s life… the reputation he [Keith Richards] had certainly arrived before his guitar and he did! Also, who better to be a pirate?”
Johnny Depp’s Acting Method Was Challenged On The Set Of ‘Alice In Wonderland’
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The imagery method worked like a charm for Johnny Depp as he perfectly portrayed his characters through the years. This is how the actor operates, however, his imagery method was challenged when he starred in Tim Burton’s film Alice in Wonderland as Mad Hatter.
Alice In Wonderland is a classic fairy tale film that needed a lot of CGI and special effects. For Depp, however, it might not be good since he’s not used to acting with too much green screen. He became weary on the set since he found the green screen a little overwhelming.
He said, “The novelty of the green wears off very quickly. It’s exhausting, actually. I mean, I like an obstacle – I don’t mind having to spew dialogue while having to step over dolly track while some guy is holding a card and I’m talking to a piece of tape. But the green beats you up. You’re kind of befuddled at the end of the day.”
Since he’s not used to it, he wasn’t comfortable at first, and he had to adjust big time to be able to effectively portray Mad Hatter. With that in mind, Depp believes that successfully filming Alice In Wonderland is an impressive feat. The film has proven that the actor can still thrive even when he’s outside his comfort zone.
The actor said, “To choose to grab Alice in Wonderland, that in itself is one thing, and then to do it to the Tim Burton level is madness. It’s so huge because, whether it’s the CGI or the green screen or the 3D or the live action, he’s done it all here. It’s the greatest undertaking I’ve heard of.”
Despite Involving Too Much CGI, Johnny Depp Really Wanted To Be A Part Of Alice In Wonderland
Despite knowing that Alice in Wonderland will involve massive use of CGI and green screen, he accepted the role since he found it interesting.
The actor is widely known for portraying eccentric characters, and it was indeed intentional as he chose to do films that are far from his personality. The actor is never driven by money, and he carefully filters the projects he accepts.
He doesn’t want to portray a character that has similarities with him. He said, “The last thing I want to look like is myself. I’ve always felt that it was important to escape. I always figured if I just did the same thing over and over, I’d not only bore myself, I’d bore the audience.”
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