Times Johnny Depp Dug His Own Grave
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Johnny Depp is a great actor. Sure, he's made some bad movies during his career, but what actor hasn't? Still, his bad movies don't bother us. What does are some of the things that have come out of his mouth over the years. Here are some of Depp's biggest derps.
When He Said He Was Going To Fix Racism In His Role As Tonto
While having good intentions, Johnny Depp's attempt to "solve" racism stunk. The problem began with Depp being cast in 2013's The Lone Ranger as the titular character's Native American sidekick, Tonto. Depp is caucasian, as far as anyone knows, including him. According to Depp, he "was told [he] was Cherokee...Creek...and Chickasaw," when he was young. Okay, so he was told these things, but there's no evidence of him researching his ancestry, and Native American communities claim he has no Native American heritage. So Depp kind of committed the Native American equivalent to blackface—not the best racism solution. To Depp's credit, he met with Native American elders to discuss his performance and ensure it didn't become a caricature, according to a National Post article. And he did try to raise Tonto from sidekick to equal partner. But Depp based Tonto's appearance on a white man's painting that doesn't "adhere to historical accuracy," according to Gawker, complete with the dead bird on his head. His only saving grace: not many people actually saw The Lone Ranger, so fewer were offended people than there could've been.
When He Fell Asleep During A Screening For His Own Movie
We all thought Black Mass marked Depp's return to serious dramatic roles that showed how great his acting can be. But Depp didn't help its marketing when, on a 2015 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, he admitted to falling asleep during a Black Mass screening at the Venice Film Festival. Depp doesn't watch his own films, which isn't uncommon among actors. But under pressure from director Scott Cooper, the actor broke his rule. Unfortunately, Depp said he fell asleep 15 times during the screening. Now, Depp also said this happens to him with any film, unless it's a documentary, so it's not necessarily a knock against Black Mass. However, it's not the greatest endorsement for the film either. Or maybe he just made the story up to try and get out of promotional work and press junkets for his films.
When He Said He Doesn't Want To Win An Oscar
Not long after Black Mass hit theaters, Depp's performance came up in a lot of Oscar talk. But Depp killed all that enthusiasm by saying, "I don't want to win one of those things ever," in a BBC interview. He followed that up a little later at the London Film Festival with, "I don't want to have to talk," most likely referring to giving an acceptance speech. Apparently, Depp has stage fright when it comes to giving speeches. It could stem from a fear of giving oral reports in high school, at least from what little time he spent there.
When He Called the U.S. "A Dumb Puppy"
Shortly after the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie's release in 2003, when Depp still lived in France, he made some comments about the United States. In an interview with the German magazine Stern, which CNN picked up, he said, "America is dumb, it's like a dumb puppy that has big teeth that can bite and hurt you, aggressive." Now, the U.S. obviously has its share of stupid, aggressive idiots—anyone who's ever seen a post-Super Bowl celebration in the championship team's hometown knows this. But lots of countries have stupid, aggressive people. Just look at the regular occurrence of soccer riots in Europe or South America. Considering that Depp counts on American ticket sales as part of his income—American ticket sales contributed about half of Pirates of the Caribbean's total box office—it's not the smartest move. Depp risked losing some significant income. Then he'd never have been able to buy those islands, the Caribbean one and the Greek one. And then he'd be unable to complete his transition to becoming a real-life pirate.
When He Attempted To Disavow Those Comments
A few days after calling the United States "a dumb puppy," he backtracked hard. He claimed that Stern magazine misquoted him. Apologizing through his publicist, Depp claimed that he was referring to the United States being a young and still growing nation, when compared to other countries with much longer histories. Depp's apology went on with, "I am an American. I love my country and have great hopes for it...It is for this reason that I speak candidly and sometimes critically about it. I have benefited greatly from the freedom that exists in my country." It's good that he issued his apology days after the incident and not years after. Like in 2011. When he returned to the United States to avoid French taxes and citizenship. It looks like those freedoms came in handy for him after all. Nice save!
When He Compared Photo Shoots To Rape
In a late-2011 issue of Vanity Fair, Depp made an incredibly stupid move by comparing photo shoots to sexual assault. He said during a photoshoot, "You just feel like you're being raped somehow." Now, we know Depp didn't intend callousness, and he wasn't thinking when he said it, but that's kind of the problem. Even though he's a high school dropout, (which he admitted to on Inside the Actor's Studio) we're pretty sure that two seconds of thought before opening his mouth could have produced another way to describe his camera shyness. And Depp's not the first celebrity to ever exist. He should've known that his career would require repeated photographing. It shouldn't be shocking. The good thing for him is that if he's so unhappy with it all, he can quit. Of course that may be problematic too because then he'd have nothing to complain about. Poor Johnny.
When He Said He'd Eat People
Depp once told the London Times around 2005, in reference to his family, that "I would die for these people. If someone were to harm my family or a friend or somebody I love—I would eat them. I might end up in jail for 500 years—but I would eat them." While it seems that Depp wanted to convey the depth of his feeling for his family, threatening to eat his enemies isn't really scary or intimidating as much as it's merely bizarre. Unless it's Mike Tyson saying he'd eat Lennox Lewis's kids. And that other time when he actually ate a part of Evander Holyfield's ear during a match. Okay, maybe threatening to eat people is pretty scary, actually. You win this round, Depp.
When He Compared His Body To A Journal
Back during the waning of Depp's Tiger Beat and Teen Beat cover boy days, Depp referred to his body as a journal. He told Details magazine, "It's like what sailors used to do, where every tattoo meant something, a specific time in your life when you make a mark on yourself, whether you do it to yourself with a knife or with a professional tattoo artist." Now, back in the late 1980s (and let's keep in mind that getting a tattoo of a person's name is always a dumb move), Depp got "WINONA FOREVER" tattooed on his right shoulder. This was while he dated Winona Ryder. When "forever" ended after four years, Depp had the tattoo changed to "WINO FOREVER." So Depp's 'journal' is either dishonest or heavily edited, which makes for some bad reading.