'10
Johnny Depp is Vanity Fair’s January cover boy – all to promote The Tourist, which opens in a few weeks. I was slightly surprised to see Depp cover VF again – it feels like he just had a cover… but I guess that was last year? Yeah. So the photo shoot is by Annie Leibovitz and the interview is conducted by Patti Smith. Depp talks about everything, really – he covers working with Angelina (including a comparison to Elizabeth Taylor!), to Captain Jack being gay, to feeling like he should have been born in a different era. Here are VF’s excerpts:
“Meeting her and getting to know her was a real pleasant surprise,” Johnny Depp tells rock legend Patti Smith, writing for Vanity Fair, of working with Angelina Jolie on their upcoming film, The Tourist. “You don’t know what she might be like—if she has any sense of humor at all. I was so pleased to find that she is incredibly normal, and has a wonderfully kind of dark, perverse sense of humor.”
Depp tells Smith of the challenges he and his co-star faced with constant media scrutiny on set. “Poor thing, dogged by paparazzi, her and her husband, Brad…all their kids,” Depp says of Angelina and her famous brood. “There are times when you see how ridiculous is this life, how ludicrous it is, you know, leaving your house every morning and being followed by paparazzi.”
Depp tells Smith about the difficulties that arose while filming together—having to be discreet to avoid unwarranted speculation—which included “having to hide, sometimes not even being able to talk to each other in public because someone will take a photograph and it will be misconstrued and turned into some other sh-t.”
Depp compares Angelina to another famous leading lady. “I’ve had the honor and the pleasure and gift of having known Elizabeth Taylor for a number of years,” he says. “You know, you sit down with her, she slings hash, she sits there and cusses like a sailor, and she’s hilarious. Angie’s got the same kind of thing, you know, the same approach.”
On the set of the upcoming installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, Smith asks Depp what it’s like to play the iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow. “Somebody once asked [Hunter S. Thompson], “What is the sound of one hand clapping, Hunter?,” and he smacked him. Captain Jack was kind of like that for me, an opening up of this part of yourself,” Depp says. “There is a little Bugs Bunny in all of us.”
“They couldn’t stand him. They just couldn’t stand him,” Depp says of Disney’s reaction to his controversial interpretation of Sparrow. “I think it was Michael Eisner, the head of Disney at the time, who was quoted as saying, ‘He’s ruining the movie.’ Depp reveals to Smith, however, that he remained unfazed by the studio’s hysteria. “Upper-echelon Disney-ites, going, What’s wrong with him? Is he, you know, like some kind of weird simpleton? Is he drunk? By the way, is he gay?… And so I actually told this woman who was the Disney-ite… ‘But didn’t you know that all my characters are gay?’ Which really made her nervous.”
Depp tells Smith why his role of a mathematician in The Tourist appealed to him: “I was always fascinated by people who are considered completely normal, because I find them the weirdest of all.”
Of the complications of having played so many eccentric roles in his career, he says, “They’re all still there, which on some level can’t be the healthiest thing in the world…. I always picture it as this chest of drawers in your body—Ed Wood is in one, the Hatter is in another, Scissorhands is in another…. They’re still very close to the surface.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Depp talks to Smith about their shared fondness for the Monkees’ 60s pop hit “Daydream Believer”; the music career he almost had (“Going into acting was an odd deviation from a particular road that I was on in my late teens, early 20s, because I had no desire, no interest, really, in it at all. I was a musician and I was a guitarist, and that’s what I wanted to do”); being born in the wrong time (“I really believe that, at a certain point, if you’re born in ’60-something or whatever, you got ripped off—you know what I mean? I always felt like I was meant to have been born in another era, another time”); and what he’d still like to accomplish: “[Marlon Brando said,] Why don’t you just take a year and go and study Shakespeare, or go and study Hamlet. Go and work on Hamlet and play that part. Play that part before you’re too old…. So what he was trying to tell me was: play that f-cking part, man. Play that part before you’re too long in the tooth. Play it. And I would like to. I’d really, really like to.”
[From Vanity Fair]
Sigh… Johnny. Love him. It’s interesting that Johnny acknowledges that he and Angelina had to be wary of being photographed together, just to avoid tabloid craziness. Could there have actually been something to the stories about Vanessa Paradis trying to get Depp to withdraw from the film? Eh… I doubt it.
VF photos courtesy of VF online (there‘s a gallery of new and old images).
Written by Kaiser
Posted in Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp
- The creepy American Idol proposal [Evil Beet]
- Who won Idol? [Popsugar]
- Guess who wants to take J.Lo’s place [Fark]
- Benedict Cumberbatch as Ant Man? [Lainey Gossip]
- Adrien Brody shirtless. Hot? [D-Listed]
- Solange wears some 90s curtains [Go Fug Yourself]
- The Paperboy sucks, basically [Pajiba]
- Jillian Michaels has two new babies [Jezebel]
- Halle Berry’s hair is huge [The Blemish]
- Kristen Stewart flips the double bird [Celebslam]
- Usher slept with a bridesmaid from his wedding [CDAN]
74 Responses to “Johnny Depp is Vanity Fair’s Jan. cover boy, compares Angelina to Elizabeth Taylor”
Leave a Reply
By commenting you agree to our comment policy
Use the "Report this comment as spam or abuse" link to ask the moderators to delete a comment if it's offensive. If your comment disappears, it may have been eaten by the spam filter. Please e-mail cbcomments at gmail.com to get it retrieved.
Get an icon next to your name by signing up for a free Gravatar
Awwwww Depp is freaking cute in these pics. Adorable.
Love what he said about Angie. I always get the feeling she is just a cool chick and just awesome.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He is the sexiest man alive.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He’s getting creepy
Report this comment as spam or abuse
haggard and its about time he stops dressing like a 90′s teenager.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
whew…the bloat is gone and the hotness is back.
I’ve heard that about Taylor before…it’s always awesome when you have an image of someone (not necessarily negative) and they totally blow that out of the water when you meet them.
One of the bf’s cousins is like that – she’s a prim and proper little thing, who always dresses in Talbot’s type wear. you’d think she was a school-marm type, but she is so hilariously bawdy.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He’s still got it! UNF UNF UNF!!
Daydream Believer my fave karaoke song.
“But didn’t you know that all my characters are gay?’ Which really made her nervous” Love his sense of humor!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Still my favorite, loved him since 21 Jump Street!!!!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Great father? Check!
Great actor? Check!
Funny? Absolutely!
This guy can do no wrong.
Love him!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
No way, Nan. Some people should never change. Johnny is definitely one of them. Stephen Tyler is another.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
“I’ve had the honor and the pleasure and gift of having known Elizabeth Taylor for a number of years,” he says. “You know, you sit down with her, she slings hash, she sits there and cusses like a sailor, and she’s hilarious. Angie’s got the same kind of thing, you know, the same approach.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
uh…yeah!
she’s got same approach to MAN-STEALING as Liz alright!
down to a science.
jonny got jokes.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
love it!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
I’ve never been a Johnny Depp fan. Never disliked him, just wasn’t a fan. I’ve seen several of his movies but never particularly liked any of them. However, in every interview he sounds like an interesting person; a person who has actually read books, traveled, met interesting people and has done interesting things. His interviews are never boring. I hope “The Tourist” is really good and I’ll fall in love with Johnny the way one of my best friends loves him. She’s probably drooling as she runs to the bookstore (in the rain) to get her copy of VF!! I may do the same so I can have Johnny and Angelina’s interviews together on my bookshelf. I like the cover photo.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He was also awesome in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Get over it, Rho. The man-stealing bullshit is older than dirt.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
HELLOOOO NURSE! Damn, that is a good looking man…
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Hmmm…Brad is Angelina’s husband? How did I miss this? Dammit, now I’ve got my hopes up that they got married and it was all super-secret and they didn’t tell a soul…
Oh, and I love Johnny. Just not as much as the Brange.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
I’ve always loved Johnny Depp he is my forever crush I can’t wait to read this interview. I am actually reading Furious Love( the Taylor/Burton bio) right now and there are definitely parallells. I cannot wait to see two of my faves on screen in the Tourist.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
OH.GOD.
He’s so fucking hot. I want to eat him.
Anyway I love him, as a person, I like the way he is and replies and talk. And what he says is always very smart, he sounds so confident.
Sigh-
He actually dared to say to Angie “poor thing”. I’m sure nobody actually dared to say it out loud. He’s so awesome, and he’s right.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He’s such a joke! – so out of touch with reality!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Rex: He’s such a joke! – so out of touch with reality!
=======================================
In what way?
Kaiser: “It’s interesting that Johnny acknowledges that he and Angelina had to be wary of being photographed together, just to avoid tabloid craziness. Could there have actually been something to the stories about Vanessa Paradis trying to get Depp to withdraw from the film? Eh… I doubt it.”
========================================
So do I. But imagine if a photo had surfaced of Angie and Depp even greeting each other with a smile on the set. In Touch’s “body language experts” would have been all over it finding “hidden meanings” and predicting that the two of them were going to run off with each other before the end of the week.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
The funniest part of the interview is the one where he talks about Disney’s reaction on his portrayal of Jack Sparrow. The rest is quite boring, and as a fan of both Johnny Depp and Patti Smith I am disappointed.
And I’m not loving the pictures, either.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
This man is so much sexiness !!! I have no words! I just want to spread him on a cracker!
I can’t believe Vanessa lives with him, laughes with him, shares a bed with him, had kids with him….imagine…
Report this comment as spam or abuse
@nan! HAHAHAHAHHA, thank you for pointing out the obvious!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
LOVE HIM! He can do no wrong in my book. And yes, he’s super sexy again — not that I thought he wasn’t sexy while “bloated”.
P.S.: Also loved what he said about The Jolie.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Did he really get a jolly roger tattoo? He can raise my sails anyday.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
At this point I’d be more interested in Elizabeth Taylor’s comments on being compared to Angelina Jolie.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
I miss the Johnny Depp from What’s eating Gilbert Grape. Great Movie!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Aye, Johnny…prepare to be boarded!!
SWOON!!!!!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
I really started to pay attention to JD when his young daughter was really sick and close to death in the hospital. My heart just broke for him and Vanessa. Their bond was so tight and from then on I knew nothing could break them apart. This guy really loves Vanessa and his children. Johnny Depp is a great guy and here these mags try to tear him down by spreading lies, just sick. Looking back on your threads about rumors and these trolls tearing Jolie and Depp apart is crazy. They so much wanted to see some drama and cheating.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Loved how he messed with Disney about the gay stuff!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
My God! I can do this pictures!!!
I love him and love his philosphy on his life. I wish I could look into myself and get it. Damn that man is MY TOTAL PACKAGE>
I love you Johnny!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
” “Poor thing, dogged by paparazzi, her and her husband, Brad…all their kids,””
Huh? They aren’t married.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Vanessa Paradis = Luckiest woman alive
Report this comment as spam or abuse
imma gonna go with vanessa did indeed have reservations about her man filming with that vixen angelina. & that is why johnny looked like a bloated middle aged kinda reserved character.
too bad he didn’t bring a little of the hotness factor into that film.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He is smockin’ hot.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
I never get tired of him.He’s very interesting and he has his priorities straight.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Junipergreen-Johnny has also referred to Vanessa as his wife.Interestingly I rarely see interviewers ask him when they are getting married.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
he looks hot!
i like him, he seems like a cool guy. I know that he has a reputation with being great with fans and as does angelina which I think is a good indicator of how nice someone is.
I like how he describes her, like she’s shes all funny and mischievous is you get to know her and shes not just sitting in an interview.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
love that last picture of him sitting in the room….ah, the colors are amazing!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He looks gorgeous, that is how a man with personal style & edge dresses. Brad Pitt should take notes.
Not convinced him and Angie got on. That’s pretty vague praise for a co-star, it’s just good manners/being professional to be complimentary, no matter how you really feel. Nothing about her talent, beauty, personality etc.
You’d think they’d have better chemistry onscreen too, but this movie doesn’t convince me at all. Waiting for the DVD me thinks.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
nah think they got on, its not a kind of bland, yeh shes nice to work with
its more the whole cussing like a sailor, shes funny, he called her a “cool broad”, great fun and a walking poem too
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Vanessa -Well he has talked about her beauty and talent in other interviews like the Entertainment Weekly interview and on ET . He called her beautiful, amazing actress and “a walking poem” They both have said many complementary things about each other.As for his style Have you seen him on the RC? Torn Clothes ,greasy hair, dirty boots,etc. Both he and Brad look like a hot mess IMO
Report this comment as spam or abuse
red carpet johnny isnt great, but i like his casual style. But yes brad pitt looked like a hot mess yesterday
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He can do now wrong in my book. A friend of mine had the pleasure of meeting him, and according to her, he was completely unassuming and very down-to-earth. Love.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
I think comparing her to the legendary beauty Elizabeth Taylor is akin to giving her a stamp of approval. Its funny how people think Johnny Depp is going to be as judgemental of Angelina as they are. The man dated the lovable klepto Winona Ryder and the party girl Kate Moss. Johnny wrecked hotel rooms and owned the night club where River Phoenix O’Ded. I doubt Angie would be too shocking for his sensibilities.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He’s so hot! He looks very good in these pictures!
I met him in venezia 2007 and Venezia 2010 and he’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen! He’s fantastic cheek bones, hair and deeply dark eyes! I love him so much!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
What an insult to Elizabeth Taylor.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He is trying way to hard. Lose the eyeliner. I mean how old is he? he looks like he is trying to hold on to cool and is losing the battle. Men need to let it go. Nothing sexy about a man who refuses to get older and let go of the past.
Remember
JMO
Report this comment as spam or abuse
I think he and Brad are both aging pretty well. Normall, not a fan of a guy wearing eyeliner but I dunno … he’s a smart guy … who does what he wants … and who am I to judge on how he should or shouldn’t dress. We all dress how we want and its personal. He seems like an amazing father and to me that pretty sexy
Report this comment as spam or abuse
I don’t hate AJ at all, I just didn’t feel much warmth in his comment. I didn’t read EW or see ET, I live in the UK, so missed any other references to her. I guess he’s been more generous in other interviews, but here, not so much.
I still am no convinced they got on, I just don’t see any chemistry (romantic or otherwise) in the clips, but maybe I’m wrong.
And he wasn’t comparing her looks to Elizabeth Taylor, but her bawdy sense of humour. I mean come on, Angie’s beautiful, but not quite in Liz’s league.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
That’s who he is, what is style has always been for many years, why should he change it for anyone just because “they don’t like it?” People are either going to love him or hate him, just like any other celebrity, regardless what they wear…people will either like it or not, so they can take it or leave it. I like him not only because he is really attractive, but also how eccentric he is and a lot of the roles he’s taken on…especially with Tim Burton…but then he can also take on a “normal” role and pull it off, he can almost play just about any character, just like Angelina Jolie herself. Him and Angelina are meant to be…and not even necessarily as a couple…but they can totally be bffs and just hang out.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Wonder what nationality (ies?) he is? Interesting looks I would wonder if he has some native american in there somewherE?
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Don’t like the DIRTY / SMELLY look on anyone. Gotta pose in dirty looking places – all, just nasty. Grosses me out.
It’s not pretentious to LOOK CLEAN.
People all over the world without clean food, clothes & no hygiene products to speak of – yet, he thinks it cool to portray this look. NOT.
NEVER been a fan. Yuk!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
what did he do to his eyes…? lady-ish..!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
That first picture is delicious! This man is hot because he doesn’t give a crap what anyone else thinks about him (except his partner & his kids). Which makes him twice as sexy. ICON.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Still love Johnny. Good to see the bloat appears to have been only for the Tourist. I’ve always been a big fan of his.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
this guy keeps getting hotter! like a fine wine – he’s aging very, very well.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He is wearing eyeliner because he was filming the fourth film of the POTC series when this photoshoot is done.Photographer probably wanted him to show his piratey side,on the cover picture you can see his new skull and bones tattoo clearly.Johnny is the last man to refuse aging,the man has been trying to beat his pretty boy image for years,hiding his face behind weird make-ups etc.About referring to Vanessa as his wife,I don’t think they got married secretly but in his eyes they’re married.His marriage idea isn’t consist of signing papers.They have been together for 12 years and have 2 kids,he has every reason to refer her as his wife.Also this is why he calls Brad as Angie’s husband.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Great photos and great interview. Love what he had to say about AJ too.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
he wears more make-up than Christina Aguilera on this cover
Report this comment as spam or abuse
@Sunshine – I agree with you!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
i think elizabeth taylor probably loves jolie. she’d likely respect the humanitarian work she does; her commitment to her family. taylor was one of the first to speak out on behalf of aids sufferers — she’s raised millions of dollars and done tremendous outreach in the past. i bet they’d have a blast together.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
@e-non: ITA.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
“There is a little Bugs Bunny in all of us.”
Heehee!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Johnny: Aye, Aye my Captain!
Elizabeth Taylor: Anchors Away!
Angie: Land, HO!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
God, I love him. I think I would drop dead if I was ever in his presense.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
He’s still got it. I wonder how he and Cruella are going to do in that movie?
Report this comment as spam or abuse
JD always cracks me up with the random, cobbled-together boho act, the kitchen sink references, lame namedropping, ‘naughty’ gestures etc etc. Whatever, dude. I mean, you can’t even really call him louche, which is a sad indictment on someone who slops around France with a geetar strummin ex model, smoking ostentatiously and wearing eyeliner and silly hats. If you really gave a shit about Disney being anti-gay, you wouldn’t have taken their money and promoted their shit like a big dirty whore.
And is he rehabilitated now, after supporting that rapist mate of his? Remember that? Nice.
He’s always struck me as a lazy fake-arse who fell into acting on the strength of his looks and now tries to come off like he’s some committed artiste. Please. He and Brad Pitt should get engaged.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Don’t like the third pic…makes him a little try-too-hard. And VF can have him on every cover, IMO.
It’s interesting that wee don’t see his children platered all over the place like St. Jolie etc. Not like he has been in seclusion in a nunnery or sumptin…
Report this comment as spam or abuse
johnny’s a great actor, i was so happy when i found out that 21 jump street was filmed at my old high school
Report this comment as spam or abuse
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks the eyeliner is way too much.
Also, he’s almost fifty … I think his style should evolve with age.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Good God this man is gorgeous….the last photo is so breath-taking beautiful.
I always knew Angelina is just this awesome girl, everyone she meets is so intrigued by her!
Report this comment as spam or abuse
If Johnny likes her than she’s cool. Of course he probably wouldn’t say anything bad about her but I’ll bet they had fun making the movie together.
Report this comment as spam or abuse
Is that a new tattoo the sexiest man alive is wearing on his right bicep?
Report this comment as spam or abuse