I still CANNOT with Johnny Depp’s bejeweled safety pin earrings. That is all. No, that’s not all! These are photos of Depp at the 31st Santa Barbara International Film Festival. He did not bring Amber Heard. Depp received the Maltin Modern Master Award, which is like the film festival’s lifetime achievement. I’m fine with acknowledging that Depp is at an age and stage of his career where he’s worthy of lifetime achievements. Do you think Depp is okay with it though? Still, he came out and sat down with Leonard Maltin for a far-ranging two-hour conversation in front of an audience. Variety’s write-up is nice, and while Depp does come across as nervous (almost shy), he talked at length about working with legends like Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Vincent Price, Christopher Lee and more. Some highlights:
Why he wasn’t happy on the TV show, 21 Jump Street: “Back then you’ve got this idea of this road, and ‘I’m gonna make it mine.’ When you’re confined to a TV series and you have to play one character, it can make you insane. But it didn’t affect me. I got out in time. I didn’t want to be a salesman, I guess is what it was. So I tried to get fired a lot.”
Working on What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, working with Leo DiCaprio: “It was a hard time for me for some reason. It was mostly really miserable. You can’t really tell if the thing you’re feeling at the time is coincidental. Did I have to be that way for the film? I respect Leo a lot. He worked really hard on that film, researching and showing up ready to work — and I tortured him. I really did. He was always talking about these video games. ‘No I will not give you a drag from my cigarette while you hide from your mother again, Leo.’”
He was in awe of Al Pacino: “Marlon just liked to have fun, and so did I, so I thought, ‘There’s no way I’m going to get lucky twice. This guy’s gonna hand me my ass, because he looks like the kind of guy who’s going to hand someone their ass. Anyone who’s getting their ass handed to them, it’s not Al.’”
The Leo story is my favorite part – Depp knew Leo when he was just some punk kid, trying to be a badass and hiding from his mom. And now Depp has to sit on the sidelines, not even invited to the show, while Leo wins an Oscar. I’m not sure if I believe that Depp never wants to win an Oscar or that he never wants recognition for his roles, but I kind of like that he showed up for this thing and he was a good sport about it.
Meanwhile, Johnny Depp will be at the Grammys two Sundays from now. He’s performing with The Hollywood Vampires, the “supergroup” that includes Depp, Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and Duff McKagan and they will perform a tribute to Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister. This year’s Grammys sound absolutely awful, right?
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
I remember when he was hot. He needs to put the drink down.
I remember when I cared. Now, I’m just waiting for the Amber thing to blow up. Moron.
Lmao
You seem to care enough..
The drink & drugs & to stop crashing in Marilyn Manson’s couch. He needs to gets his life together.
He looks like KD Lang on hard drugs. Such artist, Le sigh.
He’s still hot to me.
Am I missing something? He looks fine here.
I think he at least looks sober and as if he’s had a shower. However, his clothes still look like something discarded and thoroughly trampled under a table in a smokey 70s nightclub. The “jewelry” he wears must have been found in gramma’s sewing junk and/or the last left overs from a 70% off sale at Claires. But worst of all would be his teeth. Any characteristic that appears to stink is unappealing and that grill HAS to be rancid.
He’s such a tortured artist.
Did you read the quotes?
Are you talking about DiCaprio? Because he’s the one who keeps going on about how much he struggled for The Revenant.
He looks less bloated, that’s good, right? But the awful mustache and goatee-not-goatee thingy have to go.
Agreed, he looks slightly better. Also, the swept-back hair does wonders for him and I like what he is wearing.
He looks a lot better in these pics! (Or at least a lot less bloated)
I agree. The bloat went down a bit.
He does look less bloated, although that could be contour powder – looks strange.
The Grammy’s normally are awful.
Agreed. It’s the one (serious) awards show I never watch. It’s a circus.
I think Leo should have won an Oscar for that movie.
Agreed! I’ve always thought this from the first time I saw the movie. Tremendous performance by such a young actor.
I agree…Leo was amazing in that role!
I hate to admit it because right now, I want to throw the damn thing at him just so it’ll be over but yeah, he was absolutely fantastic in that movie. To me that is still the best performance of his career.
+1
Yeah, he was amazing in that. It was the first movie with him I saw and I’ve been a fan since.
He was great in “The Basketball Diaries” too.
+1
Right?! I totally agree. Who beat him that year? I’m too lazy to google. I swear If an actor turned in that kind of performance in a film nowadays, he’d win an Oscar with zero competition.
I also thought Django was another fantastic performance. You could just tell he was having fun with that character.
I think it was Tommy Lee Jones? Can’t remember what movie it was for though.
Totally agree. He was truly awesome in that role.
YES! @BETHIE and @ELEANOR
He was great in Gilbert Grape & Basketball Diaries. Deserved the Oscar for either roll (or both).
Gene Hackman won for Unforgiven in 1993. (Leo was nominated)
I don’t think he was nominated for Basketball Diaries
I see some glimmers of the hot. Oh how I miss the hot!
The way he can show up looking bloated as a dead fish and half alive on the red carpet, and then come in looking like this a few weeks later makes me think he’s absolutely doing hard drugs.
A recent appearance had me actually frightened, he looked so drugged out, pale and awful. And now he looks basically fine and even a little healthy. WTF is going on with him?! That’s not a drinking thing, I always see drinkers looking basically the same. What the eff is he on?
I really wanted to hear him talk about Cristopher Lee but the article had no quotes about him. Oh well.
Johnny is that kind of person who does not really like make speeches and such and consideres himself artistic type so I have trouble believing he does not really want a Oscar. Not that he could not appriciate one if won it.
I have to say he looks a lot better than he did a few weeks ago.Good to see he’s still the same nervous and shy person he always was. I’m sure that Johnny can get himself invited at the Oscars if he wants to but he doesn’t care enough to do so,he never cared about awards.Also he’s much better Amber-less…
OMG, that pic with the flowers just made my day! 🙂
Dear Johnny, please fix your teeth! They are gross!
Thanks, A Fan
I think he looks pretty good for a change? Not as waxy and bloated. I have problems with alcohol myself, and once I’ve managed to put the bottle down for a week, I look leaps and bounds better than I do when I’m on the sauce. It does seem to me that this is the mostly sober Depp speaking. And those moments remind me, despite me rolling my eyes at him for the past few years, that he’s still alright, when he can be.
So, hope it stays that way. The movie may have been what it was, but I can’t deny it that I loved his performance as Whitey Bulger.
@ Marianna I think he might have liver problems.
My daughter is always talking about Leo as if he’s some kind of Millenial gem. Psh. I remember when Leo was on “Growing Pains” and dumping Mr. Seavor’s liquor down the sink.
I don’t understand the Leo quote. Maybe I’m just being really dumb but can someone explain it to me. Is is dissing Dicaprio?
They worked together on a very decent film “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” which is worth anyone’s time. Dicaprio was an adolescent.
@Velvet, Crushed, who wrote: “They worked together on a very decent film “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” which is worth anyone’s time. Dicaprio was an adolescent.”
(Blinks) An adolescent? Leo was born in 1974 and “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” was released in 1993. Are people still ‘adolescents’ at 19? Leo may have ‘looked’ unnaturally young until his mid-thirties, but he was definitely 19-years-old in 1993. He was probably a late bloomer who was over-mothered.
I think he’s trying to point out how much older and mature he was…which is funny because he pretty routinely dated teenagers himself. I don’t think Johnny is malicious in any way though
I like the picture with Jonny Depp holding the bouquet of flowers. The person that took that photo has a good eye.
Love Johnny Depp and his comments on other actors. I will always be a fan and he is looking better in these pics.
Except for the sun damage he is showing on his neck and below, he is aging well.
teeth ewww
Well, at least Gaga isn’t doing the Grammys tribute to Lemmy too …
I thought the little story about Leo was very cute, and I’m sorry Depp did not at least score a nomination for Black Mass. I really enjoyed him in that.
Leo was amazing in that movie. It’s probably his best performance ever. I think he was a much more compelling actor when he was really young.
I think Johnny Depp is an incredible actor who has given many wonderful performances throughout his career. I really thought he would get an Oscar nomination for “Black Mass.”
I did,too.
I’m sure he thought so, too. I don’t buy the whole “I don’t want awards!” act from him for a minute.
@Holmes Why don’t you buy it? He really doesn’t seem to care. Will Smith, on the other hand, is obviously mad he didn’t get nominated.
“And now Depp has to sit on the sidelines, not even invited to the show, while Leo wins an Oscar.”
Not sure he cares about the Oscars like that, especially this year when they are getting boycotted for not being diverse. And are we forgetting that DiCaprio hired every awards consultant known to man? Depp could’ve done that too, but obviously he isn’t desperate like DiCaprio.
I really hope he’ll bounce back.. and I’m not just talking about his weight, he needs to stop drinking and signing on crappy movies. He needs to get his mojo back and I’m sure he can. For what it’s worth I still think he’s a really good actor, and I like him way better than Leo.
Leo would have been 18/19 then; hiding from his mom while stealing a drag from his cigarette, really??!
Leo is super close to his mom. Not as close as Bradley Cooper, but he is def a mama’s boy so I can see him hiding certain things from his mom at that age even thought he was technically an adult.
Mommy boys are usually extremely emotionally immature so that would explain it, may also explain why he’s still single and acts like a twenty year old.
I’m not sure it was like he said it was. Leo was 19 when he did that film, its not like he was a preteen. I think Johnny might have embellished a bit to make the point that he knew Leo as a rookie… or maybe it was a reference to him vaping at the SAG awards? Who knows. But Johnny was throwing some man-shade is what I think.
i like the ageing Johnny. I think he looks like a drinking, smoking, wild dude. All of us age and not all of us are so pretty about it. He’s a good actor and an original character.
This is the best comment ever…agreed, life isn’t pretty sometimes, if you don’t get a little ragged at times, you aren’t trying.
Second that. I still love him.
he looks fine, in a good mood and his two hours interview was hilarious for what i’ve read
I’ll always love Johnny no matter what.He’s one of the very few people in HW who don’t take themselves seriously.He’s crazy talented and is super nice to everyone.There’s no other actor this famous who connects with fans the way he does.And I find his weird personality very attractive.He has earned his place and has entertained millions of people for over 30 years.My view about him isn’t gonna change cause of who he married or how he looks.
PS:He looks great here,but more importantly happy and relaxed
Lin-Manuel Miranda is performing a piece from Hamilton at the Grammy’s. Normally wouldn’t watch the show, but now wouldn’t miss it!
HA! The title made my day, and nice choice on the pic to go under it btw. Great article. It’s nice to see him without the arm candy.