Johnny Depp gave homeless guys jobs as extras on his new film: go Johnny?

Johnny Depp

Let me start off by admitting that I’ve developed quite a nasty little habit of giving the side eye to Johnny Depp, and perhaps things have grown a little too critical on my end. Most recently, I’ve given Johnny a hard time for obsessing over his food’s sugar, salt, and fat content while he chain smokes. There’s also the question of him as a 49-year-old man who’s made a fool of himself over a 20-something, big-chested blonde. I also think it’s quite strange that he intentionally goes to a lot of effort to ugly himself up by dressing in so many scarfs and layers, but I guess that’s just Johnny’s “style.” I mean, the dude accessorizes like no other, and he goes way overboard at times.

Now I feel the need to not exactly backtrack (because that would be lame) but to take a moment and acknowledge that Johnny has done something pretty cool. By all accounts and even though Johnny has truly transformed from indie rebel to complete Hollywood franchise sellout and also has the nerve to compare photo shoots to rape, every fan who has ever met the guy (including waiters and schoolchildren) says that he’s a really nice dude. Then there is this new story about Johnny setting up some homeless guys with jobs as extras on his new film set:

Johnny Depp

He is known for playing dark and complex characters on the big screen but Johnny Depp has shown off his softer side after hiring homeless people to play extras in his latest movie.

The 49-year-old Hollywood actor reportedly convinced the casting director of his forthcoming film, Transcendence, to employ two street sleepers after he spotted them in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“Johnny always likes to help out the community when on location,” a source told The Sun. “While scouting out the area around Albuquerque, he came across these two characters. He was straight on the phone to the casting director.”

Depp stars opposite Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy and Rebecca Hall as Will in the sci-fi thriller. It is set to be released in cinemas in April 2014.

It is not the first time the Pirates of the Caribbean actor has helped the homeless. In 2011, he bought a hat from a person living on the streets to add to his vast collection of headgear.

However, the purchase is said to have put him in the doghouse with his partner at the time, Vanessa Paradis. “Vanessa was livid and told him the hats had to go or she would trash them,” an insider previously said. “But he’s way too fond of them, so he’ll move the bulk of the collection to one of their other homes.”

[From IB Times]

That last little tidbit is interesting, isn’t it? There’s a strange implication that Vanessa just had a major problem with Johnny’s hats, and that’s why their relationship must have crumbled. How silly. Anyway, good on Johnny. I won’t pick on him any more today … except to say that now I understand this particular hat.

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp

Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News and WENN

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28 Responses to “Johnny Depp gave homeless guys jobs as extras on his new film: go Johnny?”

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  1. mkyarwood says:

    I read about this yesterday, and it’s a definite ‘go Johnny’. I’m really more interested in the closeup of his teeth, tho. They look pretty good, considering what they’re rumored to be like.

  2. jinni says:

    The hat in the last picture is a hat he’s had ever since his days on 21 Jump street; it’s really old. He wears a lot of clothing that he’s had for years which is why some of them look so ratty, so maybe he just hates shopping for clothes. Anyway, that was really great of him, but I’m not surprised because there have always been great things said about him by those who have had the chance to meet and work with him.

  3. RocketMerry says:

    Aw, that’s very nice. Makes me like him more.
    I still really dislike Amber, though.

  4. Janet says:

    That was very fine and decent of him.

  5. Jess says:

    “a 20-something, big-chested blonde”

    Amber Heard may not be Johnny’s usual type, but she’s not a Page 3 girl either.

    Johnny’s always done this kind of thing, and to his credit it’s usually others who leak the stories (when other celebrities issue press releases to let us know how wonderful they are). He’s one of the few major celebrities who’s truly happy to deal with fans (and not in the creepy Tom Cruise way), he’s a great tipper, there’s never been any stories about him being a diva, not even when he was a total trainwreck in the late 90’s, he’s good to his friends and family, by all accounts he’s a wonderful father… I understand people not liking his films, his fashion and stuff like that, and obviously he’s got plenty of flaws like everyone else, but he’s a far better person than most celebrities.

    • Laura says:

      This!!

      Even though I have loved him since I was 12 & probably always will he really does seem like a decent human being.

    • Agnetha says:

      Johnny filmed some scenes for Pirates in my neck of the woods once and there were crowds of people waiting outside on the road. Well, Kiera Knightley and Orlando Bloom’s limos drove right by the crowds, but Johnny stopped and took pictures and signed autographs for everyone. I always thought that was a real cool thing that he did for his fans.

  6. KeepRocking says:

    Johnny is a very nice guy and he has proved it many times.He is also incredibly kind with his fans.One time,I think it was in June 2012,after the filming he spent nearly four hours meeting and talking to people and signing autographs.He has done so many nice things and I find completely unfair the fact that so many people are hating on him just because he moved on with his life.

    • Alexandra says:

      He spent hours signing autographs as well at the Dark Shadows premiere in London, last year. I got to meet him and he was charming and sweet, making sure he would talk to as many fans as possible. While all the other celebrities had left, he was still there signing and talking. I gave him a present (a scarf, how appropriate lol :D) and I actually saw him wearing it two months later, which was amazing.

      While he was shooting Public Enemies he even saved some extras who were about to be hit by a car and left enormous tips at restaurants, giving presents to the crew and such. Or that time when he was shooting Pirates 4 in the UK and he went to visit a school to prevent a “mutiny”, telling them only minutes before, to avoid the media frenzy.

      Despite everything what’s being said about his mid-life crisis or whatever, Johnny is a really nice guy. With flaws, like everybody else, but really nice

      • KeepRocking says:

        You are so lucky!I want to meet him one day too!Johnny is truly an amazing,sweet and kind guy.And yes like every human being he has flaws.I remember that Vanessa once said that that’s why he is perfect.

  7. Mika says:

    Maybe he gave them jobs because they reminded him of himself?

  8. Madpoe says:

    YaY! Cillian Murphy!! 🙂

  9. truthful says:

    What a nice gesture, sometimes old things…like hats, can remind you of a person that is no longer living or a good time in your childhood.

    I like when celebs do nice gestures.

    Johnny will always be Johnny I guess, even though I cannot stand his new lady.
    I like him for the most part.

  10. bns says:

    This is why I can never hate him. I’m not surprised that he did something like this at all.

  11. Auj says:

    Yes, Johnny is an original dresser.
    I enjoy seeing what he comes up with the next time I see a photo of him.
    I know very little about Amber, but she does not seem to be another run of the mill Hollywood fame whores.
    The only thing that bothers me about Johnny is his alcohol consumption. I hear he is cutting back. I don’t know whether or not that is true. I personally hope he stops cold.

    • KeepRocking says:

      He has been spotted many times drinking non-alcohol beer during 2012.I think it’s true.

  12. Lara says:

    Well, they at least hired more than just a couple of homeless…Johnny is working right next to a homeless shelter. So they ended given them jobs in many other functions in the production (also as extras)

    That’s really nice. He is really nice. The people can criticize the way he dresses, or even consider that it’s ridiculous that being that old, he continue being a ridiculously romantic for falling hard in love with a younger woman or even his movies, but I’ve never read a bad word about him as a person, or how nice he is with fans and the people who work with/for him.

  13. Sara says:

    Although he looks a lot older now 49 will do that and his teeth are kind of gross I still love him! Imagine how great he would look for his age without destroying his body. I think he would have been a forever young like Gavin Rossdale.

    • Meh says:

      He still looks great in all the recent pictures.

      Please, don’t consider the pictures with the bathrobe as a proof of anything, because he was on character and his character is dying in the movie! so that’s why he looks ill

      • rachel says:

        Agree with you 100%!!! I think he looks great,the picture where he is smiling is from april..so johnny still looks great for his age..but who wrote this article really hate him so tha’s why he put that photo ( where he looks ill)twice…BUT HE LOOKS LIKE THIS FOR THE CHARACTER,,IT WAS ON PURPOSE!.Got it.. celebitchy?So go Johnny Depp..he is beautiful and good person too

  14. skuddles says:

    Johnny has a good heart… one of the reason’s I’ll always ♥ him.

  15. OhMyGawh says:

    He’s done similar stuff like this before actually. Depp also takes very good care of his crew as well.

  16. jess says:

    Johnny is a great guy! They filmed part of Pirates near my hometown and he was amazing with everyone. A couple girls asked if they could take a picture with him for their sick friend stuck at home and not only did he do that, he grabbed a sharpie and wrote her a short letter w/an autograph on the back of the cardboard sign the girls had been holding. I’ve had other friends in LA who have had encounters with him as well and they never have anything but nice things to say about him.

  17. Aboveall says:

    The other i was reading an story about how when he went out to sign autographs to his fans waiting – after he was shooting the whole day- he was saying to everyone how sorry he was for come out so late and make them waiting too much time.
    Also other person commented how one of the people waiting for him, was a mentally disabled man and while many people there, was “eyeing him” (you know? like a weird) when Johnny come out and did notice, he gave to the man a big hug and special time to speak with him, and sign and take pictures with him. That’s so fucking nice!

  18. dcypher1 says:

    I know he’s recently hasn’t made the best decisions in life and can’t dress well. I also think he’s been going thru sum sorta midlife crisis which is normal at his age at least he’s a nice guy. And I’ve met a few celebs and most of them are not so nice. I still think he’s hot though but he definitely needs a stylist. He looks hot when someone else dresses him up. He does over do it on the accessories. Too many scarfs he doesn’t even need one.

  19. Meg says:

    i think vanessa not seeing the gesture he was making, seeing value in everyone homeless or not, is the point with her throwing out the hats. they’re wealthy beyond all belief and she is grossed out by hats worn by the homeless. her values are superficial and his are not.

  20. Trashaddict says:

    Say what you will about his accessorizing, I like the Gonzo necklace. I’m pretty sure it’s in honor of Hunter Thompson.