Johnny Depp has one of the most versatile careers that showcases him in a wide variety of films and shows that do not limit him to one genre. From his debut in A Nightmare on Elm Street to becoming Grindelwald, the evil dark wizard in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, fame has chased the actor. Throughout his career, Depp has given hit after hits, making him one of the most commercially successful actors.
To add to his fame and reputation, Johnny Depp has collaborated with some of the biggest Hollywood legends of his time, and he has shared that he will not work with Al Pacino after their 1997 crime drama film, Donnie Brasco. The Rango actor mentioned that the Scarface actor was absolutely insane and that he would not spend a night anywhere near his house.
Johnny Depp’s Excitement To Work With Al Pacino Turned Into A Nightmare
Johnny Depp and Al Pacino had worked together in the 1997 film, Donnie Brasco, the two actors stole the show with their outstanding performance in the film. However, Depp was quite nervous when he got to meet the legendary actor for the very first time, but soon his nervousness turned into a nightmare as he learned that Pacino was certifiably insane, and the guy who would “hand me my a**.”
During a Q&A session at the Cannes International Film Festival, the Black Mass actor shared his excitement about working with the legendary actor, but he was surprised at how unhinged Al Pacino was in real life.
“I’m going to work with Pacino. I’m thinking not gonna get lucky twice. There’s no way, this guy’s gonna hand me my a**. Cause he looks like the kind of guy who’s gonna hand you your a**. It’s Al Pacino.”
Johnny Depp added that he enjoys fooling around on the set of his movies, and he started to pull pranks on the Heat actor, but he soon realized that he was “certifiably insane.” And Depp was so spooked that he mentioned how he would not spend a night near Pacino’s house.
“So I was fully expecting it, and I’m like psychotic, I can’t stand not being able to joke around on set and things like that. So I started pulling the gags on Al, and that was the moment I realised he was absolutely out of his mind – I mean, he’s certifiably insane. I wouldn’t spend a night anywhere near his house.”
Depp continued that after they were three weeks into shooting the film, he confronted his co-star telling him that he was totally insane which he had never imagined him to be. He impersonates the Serpico actor, giving him the best comedic bump by calling Depp “pretty f**king strange.”
“We’re about three weeks into shooting, and I said, you know, we’re on the docks and Brooklyn. Finally, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I said, ‘Hey, you know, here’s the funny thing now, the one thing that I never expected or imagined was that that you’re actually, I mean, you’re actually certifiably insane’.”
“Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, oh, yeah. You didn’t know that?’ I said, ‘No, I didn’t, actually I didn’t, really” adding, “’You’re pretty f**king strange yourself.”
Al Pacino’s reply was quite fitting as it silenced Depp, and made the audience burst out in laughter. The reason Depp acts so strangely is due to his one rule while preparing for his roles.
Johnny Depp’s Only Rule While Preparing For His Roles
When the 21 Jump Street actor is not portraying his roles, understanding his Kentucky accent is quite difficult. However, he can change his accent like one can change clothes, this unique trait is because of his one rule that he ardently follows while portraying a character.
During an exclusive interview with Today, he was alongside Joel Edgerton, while promoting Black Mass, Depp mentioned that he wants to be a totally different person when he is playing a character, and he would like to escape his personality, or else it’ll bore the viewers.
“The last thing I want to look like is myself. Yeah. I always felt it was important to escape. I always figured if I did the same thing over and over, I’ll not only bore myself but I’ll bore the audience. You know.”
This intriguing rule made Depp stand out from other A-list actors in the industry as he embodied his roles, eventually becoming synonymous with them.
Donnie Brasco can be streamed on Netflix.
