Bob Iger is the CEO of Disney. Which means he’s getting a lot of the credit for the “success stories” in Hollywood these days. Disney owns LucasFilm, Marvel and Pixar, arguably the most successful properties in the film industry, domestically and internationally. So it’s no surprise that Iger was named The Hollywood Reporter’s Most Powerful Person In Entertainment. You can see THR’s Hollywood 100 list here. It includes people like Leo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Jimmy Fallon and Lin-Manuel Miranda. My intention was just to glance through Iger’s extensive interview, but I ended up being drawn in and I read the whole piece. Iger talks a lot about Marvel, Rogue One, Shanghai Disney, the Orlando massacre and more. He says Rogue One is “actually going to be a fine film” and that Disney is truly working on another Indiana Jones movie. But here’s something that might interest you at a gossip level: Iger was asked directly about Johnny Depp.
THR: Do you have Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean in the park?
Iger: Yes.And Johnny Depp’s personal problems?
Not worried about it.The scandal will pass?
I don’t know whether it passes or not. We have Jack Sparrow.You think people separate.
Right.
And that’s it. That’s the only thing he says about Depp. I give Iger some credit for not slamming Amber and for not giving Depp some ringing character reference or endorsement. But I do think Iger is kidding himself if he thinks the public will be able to separate Jack Sparrow and a drunk, abusive scarf monster.
Also: this interview took place several weeks ago, during the heat of the Depp-Heard back-and-forth in the press. It also took place after Disney’s Alice Through the Looking Glass bombed at the box office. Disney has a lot of money invested in Depp for Pirates of the Caribbean, and while Disney will still be okay if Pirates bombs (they still have Stars Wars and Marvel, after all), Disney doesn’t want to eat the $320 million it cost to make POTC: Dead Men Tell No Tales. And that’s just the production cost! It will cost Disney tens of millions to promote the film. Iger is counting on the idea that by the time the film comes out (next summer), people will have forgotten all about everything. Is that what will happen though?
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN, The Hollywood Reporter.
Well, I don’t know, he says “we have Jack Sparrow” as if Depp could be replaced. Maybe I give him too much credit.
I just posted the same below. I think he was talking about the character. Not the actor.
That was my reading too. Like they can replace (and they should) the character from the actor. At least one can hope. Disney makes all their actors dance like monkeys while promoting their movies, because they depend on fan reactions and investment in characters. So if the public will act responsibly and boycot his fims he will be done.
That’s how I read it too.
That’s how I’ve read that too.
how people say ? Everybody is necessary no one is irreplaceable.
Nothing a guy like this says is accidental. I agree with the above posters that he specifically means that they own the character and can recast it with whomever they like. It also sounds like a message to Depp– WE own this franchise, not you, and if you don’t clean your sh!t up, we’ll tidy up by replacing you with any one of a dozen talented hot young guys who’d sell their own grandmother for the opportunity.
That was how it struck me as well. Totally separating Jack Sparrow from Depp. Like Batman has been played by several different actors, so too will Jack Sparrow IMO.
That’s how I read it as well.
They were talking about having Jack Sparrow in the park, not in the movies. I didn’t read that he was saying Depp could be replaced; more that they don’t have Depp himself there in the park. Instead, they have a character that people love.
Don’t you think distancing the character from the actor is what we are all saying. The Johnny today is not the Johnny from the beginning of this franchise. A lot of the bloom is off the rose so to speak.
There’s definitely a separation there, but I’m not sure if he means that they will replace JD with another actor or simply end the movie franchise and keep going with the merchandise and theme park rides. Disney has always invested heavily in their characters, making them entities unto themselves instead of promoting the real people who bring them to life. Yes, Depp is a famous actor, but they don’t sell Depp, they sell Jack Sparrow and I think Iger is making that very clear.
I didn’t think of that.
Iger thinks everyone is replaceable. Even people who aren’t. Like Harrison Ford. He has his heart set on a “newer younger” Indiana Jones even though Spielberg, Ford and Lucas have said NO. Iger is only a business man. He’s not a creative.
This is why I can’t wait for him to leave. I think his deal is up in 2018.
Johnny Depp is getting old fast. I was thinking that they might do a Pirates of the Caribbean prequel with a younger version of Jack Sparrow. That would be a way not to make the franchise all about Depp. However, they have made a lot of these movies. Maybe it is time to pack it in. I think they will be paying a lot of attention to the numbers this movie makes. If it doesn’t do well, Depp will be replaced or they will end the franchise (movies).
I am hoping it doesn’t do well and that sends a message to Johnny Depp that he needs to do what it takes to be a better person (i.e. rehab and anger management).
#boycottDisney
I say boycot depp and his films and dosnay will have no choice but drop him. Profit is the only real motive
It is Profit, and we All are aware of the “group” and what “looks good”. However, money makes anyone look superb! Amber hangs her head in the face of a narcissist, and we understand His power, and watch Us comply to, that is, bend to the male power of the purse strings. Did anyone ever stop to think of Us as Our Own?
We rush for compliance when it come to our looks – hairless, bustfull and trustful, It’s so sad that all of our efforts have no return…
Domestic violence IS NOT A “PERSONAL PROBLEM.” It’s a CRIME that has been largely ignored and shunted aside as a “private matter” forever because women are considered property and men can do whatever they want to their own property. This guy can go straight to hell. He’s part of the problem.
slow clap….you are right, GNAT! Violence against women is out of control and nobody seems to give a crap. Men killing and brutalizing women seems to be almost an accepted practice. Women, we need to stand together and fight this!
I completely agree about the absolute odiousness of dismissing DV as a “personal problem”, but in fairness that terminology came from the interviewer (who should be held to account), not Iger.
Yes, I was talking about the language used by the interviewer.
Thank you for this incredibly incisive and necessary summary!
I hate the term “domestic dispute.” 98% of the time it’s a cover for “man beating up woman.” The term makes it sound like high-schoolers having a silly spat.
Talk about misplaced anger!!!!! Bob Iger never said this was a PERSONAL PROBLEM the interviewer asked that QUESTION!!!!! Bob Iger said all of 18 words addressing the issue trying to separate the character Jack Sparrow from the actor. I hope your anger for “this guy could go to hell” was directed at the interviewer, who by the way may be a woman as several women are listed on the byline of this article.
Chill, Bob.
And the awful thing is: people will be able to seperate. They do it with Polanski and Allen, and they will even more happily do it for Depp.
Iger’s going to press Depp to make this all go away. And it will go away. Before we know it, people are going to be asking what happened with that Depp stuff. And Wasser is just going to sit back and smile, because it will have been resolved (money- and divorce-wise) months earlier outside of the press.
–TheRealPinky
Yes. I also think he along with the other head honchos at the major studios will be looking to make an example of Amber. Hollywood is filled with pampered dbags with fragile egos so obviously she is far from the only DV victim. The last thing Hollywood needs is emboldened victims naming their abusers. Iger and his homies are going to turn Amber Heard into the cautionary tale, for sure.
So who stands up for this girl? Is she supposed the have the chutzpah to stand up before Johnny and his Millions of Macho-ness, (that is, those who call themselves, “Powerful AND Vulnerable”? FU, Johnny.
Why do we always answer pain? This is a hell of a lot to expect from one Lone Woman – Hear Us roar! I want an ANSWER~!
I think people are getting less tolerant of separating the person from their crimes. Which is why “The Cosby Show” repeats got pulled.
Nobody loses any money by pulling syndicated Cosby repeats from 25 years ago. Disney has a lot more at stake with a film in post-production that cost millions to make.
@Gabrielle
That is false. Several of the cast members have said they took a financial hit due to no longer getting residual checks after the show was pulled. The networks that paid for the rights to air the show, also lost money.
Is it the same type of financial loss? Of course not, I never claimed it was. But public tolerance of criminal behavior by celebrities has changed.
I don’t know a lot of examples where people let go of a beloved star the way they did with Cosby. Mel Gibson probably? And even with him it wasn’t the domestic violence…
After the Cosby Show got pulled out of repeats Woody Allen still showed up at Cannes and was defended by many people, Johnny Depp has so far been defended by many people. I think it’s not that the times have changed, though they are changing and more people start to call these things out, but I think it depends on the kind of pull someone has within the industry.
But they are repeats…no one is really tuning in to see the next cosby episode, it more of a show that if you see it on and there’s nothing else you’ll tune in. I would think it’s a big difference when it comes to a new movie coming out where people may or may not be invested in the story line
@jm
Again, I never said they were the same thing. Although Cosby also had some contracts for new projects terminated as a result of women coming forward about how he drugged and raped them.
@Wilma, who wrote: “And the awful thing is: people will be able to separate. They do it with Polanski and Allen, and they will even more happily do it for Depp.”
And they’ve done it for years with Charlie Sheen.
Yes, and sadly many others.
In fairness to Iger there was Jack Sparrow before Johnny Depp. I remember the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney in the 70’s without Depp’s likeness, and there will be again. Surprised he has lasted this long in the character anyway. The reality is they have pummeled the hell out of the Johnny Depp Pirates franchise before all of this, and with Depp’s issues this is probably the end of it for him. Iger will probably try to make this go away as he has a 300+ million dollar picture he has to release. People forget though, Amber wants to settle this too, per her attorney’s initial letters and the fact that they are negotiating and have not testified for a restraining order right now. Iger and Disney may actually be beneficial for Amber in making her settlement and situation better.
They will. For one thing, the target audience is primarily kids and their parents. Kids don’t follow gossip and how many parents are going to say “No honey, we won’t take you to that movie because the actor is a douche.” Also, the majority of people do NOT follow gossip at the level people who read this site do. If they follow it at all, a large percentage of them will dismiss Amber out of hand. And, it has a year to die down anyway. Looking Glass probably didn’t do well because it wasn’t going to do well regardless. I don’t think you can take that as a predictor of Pirates which is a much bigger and much more popular franchise.
It’s all about the bottom line. If fans are invested in the franchise, Disney won’t drop Depp. If the movie tanks, Depp and Disney are over.
I’ll bet Depp and the POTC movie will be just fine….it seems like nobody gives a damn about women being beaten…sadly, it’s true in Hollywood and all over the world…
@mrsbpitt, then talk all the time to everyone and encourage them not to support POTC. I remind everyone how much I was looking forward to seeing this, I can only afford one maybe two movies a year, and tell them to not even rent it when it hits the Redbox. That us how we can support amber and all victims of DV.
I honestly don’t believe Depp’s scandal will hurt POTC. Sad but true. Maybe if it had been released this summer, instead of May 2017.
Oh I definitely don’t doubt that. The budgets for those movies is so bloated.
I wonder.. if his saying We have Jack Sparrow means more the “character” than the actor. Johnny is not 30 years old. His time as Jack Sparrow is coming to and end. I don’t think the next Pirate film will do as well. I think they will reboot it at some point. And saying we have Jack Sparrow means that the character will live on; Johnny Depp as the character is another matter.
Like I posted above, if you read the actual context, they were talking about the park, not the movies. They have Jack Sparrow, the character, not Johnny Depp, in the park.
I don’t see why they would take Jack Sparrow out of the park. It’s sad but most of the world doesn’t care about what the actor does, but they care very much about the character and that’s pretty much how Disney makes money. Without the internationally recognized and beloved characters, Disney world be nothing and they know it. To me it sounds like they’re prepared to distance themselves from Depp and focus completely on Jack Sparrow the character.
He is all smiles now, if the next instalment of POTC crashes and burns. Just watch how fast He and Disney distance themselves from Depp. The reviews for “Alice through the Looking Glass” we’re not great so Disney was not exactly expecting a huge return at the box office. POTC is a successful franchise, so if Depp manages to torpedo that with his current problems, then he will be toast with Disney and probably other major studios
And we the public need to make JD toast. Don’t support any JD projects!
Refusing JD products is not the solution – we all believe in dreams! Unfortunately, NO ONE CARES IN REAL SOLUTIONS, the Real Deal, the unfortunate truth. Women are only seen in relationship to (hahahah); as helpmeat.
My question, can women lift the head that faints – It is Her Own.
Given all the problems that PotC 5 has had, I suspect it will be the last installment regardless of what happens with Depp.
My guess also
Yes my guess too. Then as mentioned down above the franchise will be rebooted with a new Jack Sparrow.
I’ve stated before that I believe that POTC5 will be the last. Disney now has Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar; they don’t need the POTC movies. Even though the Pirates movies have made $4 billion worldwide, the Star Wars films they’re releasing to infinity and beyond will more than make up for the loss of Pirates’ revenue.
I think he was getting a bit too old to be a non-aging pirate, and yes the studios love to reboot these things over and over again. How many Spidermen, Batmen and Supermen have we had? I think this was probably the end either way.
God – it is so unfortunate that women have to pay both sides. We have Sons, for God’s sake! How dare they disappoint us because we loved them so…what is the point of the male/female divide? It serves No One, not a soul, not a single soul. My sons seek!
Hollywood is not just weird, it is satanic. Some of the reports coming out about Michael Jackson made me sick. Yuck. I want to go back in 2009 and slap myself for crying for the pedophile. No matter what these powerful people do, money, influence and salivating fans shield them from the justice.
The reports have been lies. Look up what the sheriff’s department said about them.
–TheRealPinky
Exactly!
+1000
I heard about that too. I’ll have to see what the sheriff’s department said about it too, since someone’s saying it turned out not to be true. But even without that, I think there was more than one accusation against him.
No one truly cares about the accusations against him – all that we care about is entertainment – — and that’s why he’ll go happy/free.
And what could we have done(?) – Amber is no more than our own fragmented Being, that we do not wish to see… Who can a acknowledge that pain? Who?
How many chances is Disney going to give Depp? Besides being an abuser, when was the last time a movie of his did well? I feel like his movies have constantly bombed.
All of Depp’s films except pirates of the Caribbean have bombed.
No they haven’t. Edward Scissorhands, Black Mass, first Alice in Wonderland, Donnie Brasco, Blow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Cry-Baby… lol. I could go on. Ed Wood, Benny and Joon….
Yeah no. Nobody is talking 20 years ago. The films he’s done in the last 4 years like the lone ranger, transcendence,mortdecai and now Alice through the looking glass have all flopped. They were big budget films and they all flopped.
Black Mass wasn’t 20 years ago…………………………..that came out last year.
Mordecai was terrible but Alice Through the Looking Glass wasn’t that bad, neither was Dark Shadows.
Of course he’s worried. There’s a $300+ million movie on the shoulders of a guy getting horrible, horrible press right now. He’s just playing it cool, because what else can he do?
The second Alice isn’t doing huge numbers, and I think they’re finally going to see a drop off in the Pirates box office, I feel like there’s little excitement for this one. I think the days of them handing Depp huge checks has come to an end.
There will a drop off. The pirates films have made less than the previous film. However the new film has a 2017 release date ,most film goers will have forgotten this.
In the US the returns have been dropping off, but world wide have improved. The last film was the 2nd highest grossing of the series, worldwide over $1 billion. But I think a lot of people were very disappointed in that one, and I think the whole thing gets old after a while, so I don’t think this one will do as much. But who knows.
I’m hating on Disney these days. I can’t get past their negligence in the death of that little boy. This just gives me more reason to boycott them.
Is the state of Florida (and all other states with gators) supposed to cover every inch of the land with warning signs?
No, but any place that draws a large number of tourists needs to make them aware. The national parks have signs warning people about bears and other danger. People from outside Florida have no idea that gators are a threat in Disney. They may know to be careful in other areas, but Disney. No way. Not most people.
I really don’t know how you think Disney could have kept gators out. It is not possible. It comes down to common sense.
I’ve never been to Florida before, so hearing that gators would be a threat at Disney was definitely news. The kid’s family was from Nebraska, so they wouldn’t have known either.
Sorry, no, you go to Florida you know there are gators. Period. Signs are not needed. And even if posted, signs aren’t heeded. That lagoon had signs posted saying no swimming, so why were they in the water in the first place? No negligence here, just an awful tragedy.
I agree. I think Bob Iger may not be worrying too much about Depp & POTC but he damn sure should be worrying about a surefire big lawsuit by that child’s family. And Disney should pay out the wazoo for their negligence.
The blind eye, and we can create the perfect excuse with our love – but only because we cannot stand cognitive dissonance. We are so clever – they don’t even have to think – we make the excuses that will matter for their long term. Hasn’t that been accomplished for our Johnny?
I’m sure he’s only worried about the situation from a money aspect. As long as Depp’s awful behavior doesn’t start to make him lose money.
Exactly.
And the whole world will walk away from this thinking that it’s all about money. The world is about money, and why should I bother otherwise….
Drop Depp- slap a ton of eyeliner and jewelry on another actor and you have a new JS.
Totally exchangeable- and they should.
Or do an origin story with a younger actor. Heck, if they can do a movie about a young Han Solo, they can do one about a young Jack Sparrow. I want a movie about how Jack got involved with Davy Jones “raising the Pearl from the depths,” Or how he first met Tia Dalma. There is so much potential for movies prior to the events of Curse of the Black Pearl.
He is out of his mind. If this divorce is dragged out into next year — Disney will freak.
I wasn’t excited for #5 anyway.
He can’t really come out against drop even if he wanted to, because at this point there are only allegations. Legally, he can’t say anything, even if he thinks the guy is horrible.
I do sorta disagree about people separating Johnny from jack. He IS jack sparrow, and that is who I see when I see the character.
I was discussing this with my boyfriend today and he pointed out that if you can not seperate the man from his art/work you will get to the point that former prisoners will never get a job. I get the point but for me child molelesters, rapers and wife/man beaters should have lifelong consequences.
Yes, but former prisoners have served their time. Depp is nowhere near even taking responsibility.
Exactly!
Hope this Sh*t Tanks HARD #NoCountryforDrunkScarves (and Sorry Frankly they are Sh*tty Movies, let’s not kid ourselves)
” But I do think Iger is kidding himself if he thinks the public will be able to separate Jack Sparrow and a drunk, abusive scarf monster.”
Ha! Well, you have a lot more faith in the public than I do, particularly the international public. My guess is this is the last Pirates, but it will make money.
I think of Disney as a hateful place, not a magical kingdom. Seller of corrupt and morally reprehensible dreams. People who work in their parks don’t have good things to say. Girls should not be fed a diet of princess stories and fairy tale rescuers and Halloween should not be pick-your-favorite-princess-to-emulate. Girls should be dreaming to be the rescuer, to be the achiever, to be their own sovereign. Disney needs to pay through the nose for the vicious death of the 2 year old and let that be an omen for the rest of the world of what a magical place it is.
Well, what would you have him say? What should he say (imagine your his publicist)?
He had to stay on message.
The guy represents part of the problem surrounding the social response to DV, but the cynic in me says he’s just being honest. The motivator in Hollywood is money. Depp could have killed her outright, and they’d be more worried about who they need to walk the red carpets while he was in jail. The American people are fickle and have short attention spans. By next summer, I’d be surprised if it’s even making headlines. People this powerful have plenty of ways to bury news.