12 Hidden Details in Johnny Depp Movies That Will Help You Understand the Characters Better

It is known that Johnny Depp is a very multifaceted actor who can make all kinds of movies and successfully play quite eccentric characters, such as Willy Wonka or Jack Sparrow, among others. After 35 years in the business, the list of movies he appears in is long. And some of them have small details that perhaps not many people noticed, but worth checking out to understand the characters.

Bright Side wanted to remember Johnny Depp’s career, so we compiled a few fun facts that may have gone unnoticed by many of his fans.

1. Johnny Depp improvised a song and surprised everybody.

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Death Man’s Chest, when Captain Jack Sparrow calls Davy Jones “fish face,” he sings a short song that goes “I got a jar of dirt”. This tune was completely improvised by Johnny Depp, which explains why most of the reactions from the rest of the cast, including Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, are of sincere amazement.

2. He has been dressed by the same person for over 30 years.

Costume designer Colleen Atwood has been in charge of dressing Johnny Depp for more than 30 years. You can see she’s done an amazing job in films such as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street or Sleepy Hollow.

3. He adopted one of the horses appearing in a movie.

When Johnny Depp heard Goldeneye, the one-eyed horse who played Gunpowder, Ichabod Crane’s steed in Sleepy Hollow, was going to be put down, he decided to adopt him.

4. Contact lenses like sunglasses

During the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Johnny Depp wanted to avoid having to squint constantly due to the intense sunlight of some locations, so he decided to wear contact lenses, which served as sunglasses.

5. Jack Sparrow’s hats were made of rubber.

Johnny Depp managed to lose up to ten hats made for his character as they fell overboard from the ship while filming Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Seeing this kept happening, the costume designer decided to make new hats out of rubber instead of leather, so they could float on the water and be easier to retrieve.

6. He came up with Captain Barbossa’s name.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is the first film in the franchise to mention Captain Barbossa’s first name, Hector, although the screenwriters did not plan to name the character that way. But in the annotated version of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Johnny Depp joked that Barbossa’s first name was Hector, which was misinterpreted by viewers, taking it as fact, leaving the writers with no choice but to include it in the rest of the films.

7. He signed on for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald without reading the script.

Johnny Depp claimed he is a big fan of the Potterworld, so when he was offered to work in this movie, he signed his contract without even reading the script.

8. The challenge of speaking a different language

Todd McDaniels, a linguist at Comanche Nation College, praised Johnny Depp’s attempts to speak Comanche in The Lone Ranger, where the actor plays the main character, Toro. The language has only 23 to 30 living native speakers. According to McDaniels, Depp knew the correct words, although his pronunciation “was shaky but adequate.”

9. He wanted to add prominence to one of his characters.

Before starting the shooting of Alice in Wonderland, director Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, who would play the Mad Hatter, wanted to meet to see how to give more depth and presence to this character in the story compared to previous versions. They even went so far as to exchange sketches and themes that could be addressed to achieve this.

10. A special connection with John Dillinger

Johnny Depp claims to feel a special connection with John Dillinger, his character in Public Enemies, whom he saw as a simple, charismatic, and uncompromising man. This is because both have some similarities in their personal lives. For example, Depp’s stepfather was incarcerated in the same prison from which Dillinger helped his men escape; also, in real life, Dillinger lived in southern Indiana, about 70 miles from where the actor was born and raised.

11. A tribute to teeth

Paul Bettany, who plays Jock Strapp, the assistant, and bodyguard of the art dealer in Mortdecai, was interviewed shortly after the movie was released. There, he revealed that Depp’s teeth in the film are a tribute to British actor Terry-Thomas, who had a large gap between his two front teeth, making his smile very peculiar.

12. Moving moles

In the 2016 action comedy Yoga Hosers, Johnny Depp’s character, Guy Lapointe, has some moles on his face, which we can see shifting to different areas of his face in each scene.

Johnny Depp’s journey from a telemarketer to a three-time Oscar nominee is a testament to his determination and talent. His versatility is evident in his 93 diverse roles, from a pirate to a man with scissor hands. Depp’s rockstar persona, lifelong friendships, philanthropy, and dedication as a father further solidify his status as a Hollywood gem.

In the realm of recasting, Depp’s role as Grindelwald in the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise was taken over by Mads Mikkelsen in “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”. However, Mikkelsen has hinted that Depp might reclaim the role in future installments, showcasing the enduring appeal of Depp’s performances.

Actors often reveal their true emotions on screen, and Depp is no exception. In “Edward Scissorhands”, Depp’s feelings of insecurity, which were necessary for his character, became stronger, making his performance very convincing. In “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”, Keira Knightley confessed that she genuinely enjoyed kissing Depp, adding a layer of authenticity to their on-screen interaction.

What other secrets do you know about the movies on this list? Which of Johnny Depp’s films is your favorite?