Johnny Depp gave a lengthy interview to Rolling Stone to get out “the truth.” The blockbuster movie star opened up about his lavish spending habits lawsuits, and his first days in Los Angeles.
Depp has had a rough couple of years. He’s been in financial trouble and was accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife Amber Heard (Depp has denied all the accusations). The accusations, in the MeToo era, however, led to backlash over his starring role in an upcoming “Fantastic Beasts” movie.
In the interview, Depp also speaks about the legal battle with his former business managers Joel and Robert Mandel, and explains why he uses an earpiece on set as well as why he spent $5 million to to honor Hunter S. Thompson.
Depp will next star in the “Fantastic Beasts” film as well as “City of Lies.”
Here are nine revelations from his Rolling Stone interview.
1. Depp Once Tried to Pull Out His Own Tooth
Penélope Cruz told Rolling Stone reporter Stephen Rodrick that Depp once tried to pull out his own tooth during a dinner in London, also attended by Stella McCartney.
2. His First Big Purchase
When he first started making the big bucks, Depp said he bought a house for his mom.
“My mom was born in a f—ing holler in eastern Kentucky,” said Depp. “Her poor f—ing a– was on phenobarbital at 12.”
He then treated himself to a 1940 Harley-Davidson, which he said he still owns to this day.
3. Depp Spent $5 Million to Shoot the Ashes of His Friend Into the Sky
The Management Group (TMG) filed a complaint last summer that described the actor “as a spoiled brat with no impulse control.” According to the report, Depp spent $3 million to shoot the ashes of his friend Hunter S. Thompson into the sky from a cannon.
“By the way, it was not $3 million to shoot Hunter into the f—ing sky,” said Depp. “It was $5 million.” He said the cost increased when he wanted Thompson’s arc to be a foot higher than the Statue of Liberty. The journalist said that fact-checking the number showed that multiple reports said it cost $3 million — not more.
4. He Spent $7,000 to Buy His Daughter a Couch From the ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ Set
In the above-mentioned filing, it said Depp also spent $7,000 to buy his daughter a couch from the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” set. He also spent a reported $200,000 a month on private air travel. When he was asked to cut those costs, he said, “I don’t have all that many options at the moment. A commercial flight with paparazzis in tow would be a f—ing nightmare of monumental proportions.”
5. Depp Uses an Earpiece on Set, But Said It’s Not What You’ve Heard
There have been previous reports that Depp has his lines fed through earpieces. Depp did not deny it in the Rolling Stone story, but emphasized he gets sounds fed to his ears.
While his ex-managers said he used a sound engineer to feed him his lines so he didn’t have to memorize them, Depp said he has noises fed to him so he can act with “just his eyes.”
“I’ve got bagpipes, a baby crying and bombs going off,” said Depp of the things he hears in the earpieces. “It creates a truth. Some of my biggest heroes were in silent film. It had to be behind the eyes. And my feeling is, that if there’s no truth behind the eyes, doesn’t matter what the f—ing words are.”
6. He’s Spent More Than $30,000 on Wine
There are a few things TMG got wrong in their suit, according to Depp, including how much he spent on wine.
“It’s insulting to say that I spent $30,000 on wine,” said Depp. “Because it was far more.”
7. He Gave His Entire Building Crabs Back in the Day
In his early days of living in Los Angeles, he spent a night in a cheap Venice Beach motel. Within 48 hours of returning home, there was an apartment meeting we’re everyone said, “We’re itchy. Why are we itchy?”
Depp said he shaved his entire body and looked at the crabs under a magnifying glass.
“They look like crab-crabs, like from the sea,” said Depp. “I gave everyone scabies. You know how hard it is to tell your roommates that?”
8. He Wants to Remake ‘Titanic’
Not only does Depp want to adapt a French book, called “Happier Days,” into a movie and direct it, but he also would like to see a remake of “Titanic” filmed in just a bathtub.
“That would be great, but Hollywood never takes risks anymore,” said Depp.
9. His First Roommate Was a Bank Robber
When he gave his entire apartment crabs, he recalled that his roommate wasn’t the most stand-up guy either.
“My roommate couldn’t say much. He was a bank robber,” said Depp. “He was the ponytail bandit. He was 11 and 1, but that one will get you. He only robbed banks in Beverly Hills.”
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