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MTV Movie Special-Johnny Depp
Interview by Juliette Hohnen for MTV in 1995
(Transcript by Amy Hope)

(Johnny Depp is dressed in what appears to be a green shirt and dark jacket with short hair spiked on top with a little scruffy facial hair(video is very bad)

We first see Johnny sitting in a studio set up with a couple of large pillar candles in the background to his right--amibiance, I guess.

INTERVIEW

JD--Can I smoke? Should I put this out ...it’s awright?(Johnny indicates cig, while scratching the right side of his face)

***clips of Depp in his movies***

(Back to studio setting with Depp taking another drag off cig, looks into the camera and says--’don’t try this at home’)

***more movie clips***

Juliette Hohnen (in another setting)--With the passion for cigarettes to match his love of acting, 31 yr old Johnny Depp has had his fairshare of interesting roles in Hollywood over the past twelve years. Co-starring most recently in the film Don Juan DeMarco with Marlon Bando and Faye Dunaway, Depp portrays a young man who claims to be Don Juan.

***clip from Don Juan DeMarco of Don Juan and Rocko, the nurse***

JH--Born in Owensboro, KY and raised in Miramar, Fl, Depp originally aspired to be a rock star. He moved to Los Angeles in 1983 with his band called The Kids. While unemployed and searching for a record deal, friend and actor Nicholas Cage suggested Depp meet with his agent who helped him land a role on his first feature film A Nightmare on Elm Street.

***clip from A Nightmare on Elm Street***

JH-Was it simply a money thing at that stage?
JD-Oh, yeah, I’d say for the first (pause-clears throat & scratches under his nose) first two years of my career---career, that’s a weird word--first two years I was acting, uh, it was really just to, I just wanted to make some, I just wanted to be able to pay the rent, and buy cigarettes, and stuff, feed my dog, that was really all it was.

***clip from NOES of Glen getting sucked into the bed*** JD--A guy says you’re gonna be sucked into a bed and uh, 500 gallons of cow blood is gonna be shot out after you. Ok, ya know,(shrugs) I’m getting a paycheck.(smiles)

***clip of Private Resort--Jack says, ‘Observe the master, okay’.***

JH--You went from that to Private Resort, which certainly didn’t fit in with the rest of your movies.
JD--Yeah, well, that was, that was like, again that was like one of the, that was the second thing I ever did and it was right after ‘Elm Street’ and uh, again at the time, ya know, they could’ve said, uh, listen, we’re gonna uh, strap Dom DeLuise to your back and uh, you’re gonna climb this building, and I said fine.

***another clip Private resort---Jack says to woman in lounge chair, ‘I got the best sunburn stuff in the world in my room’.***

JD--I was surprised it actually didn’t get nominated for any awards (uninteligible couple of words here).
JH--(Laughs) Best backside, maybe?
JD--OH!, yes. (somewhat embarrased)

***clip from Private Resort of Depp’s naked backside . Jack says “I’ll be in the bedroom , okay?***

JD-A slough of best actor nominees in there.
JH--Best actress in a bikini.
JD--Yeah, Best actress in a turban.

***clip from PR of lady in turban***

JD--Best performance by Dodi Goodman.

***clip from PR of Dodi Goodman***

JH--You went from that to 21 Jump Street.
JD--Yeah, I did a few little stuff in between. Platoon I did in ‘86..

***clip from Platoon***with JH voice over--That little thing was a significant jump in the calibre of movies Depp has appeared in as he went on to play a Vietnamese interpreter in Oliver Stone’s Academy Award winning Platoon.

JH--How many words of Vietnamese did you have to learn and can you remember them now?
JD--No, I can’t remember a thing. Uh, but uh, I had to learn, I had to learn like.. there was the entire village scene I had to speak Vietnamese to the chief (unintelligible here) ...probably about 20-25 sentences.

***clip from Platoon--Lerner in Village***

JD--I just remember Tom Berenger going (Depp using facial expressions and gruff voice). ‘You know your dialogue, dontcha?’ Yes, yeah I know my dialogue . “Do you know the Vietnamese part?’ Yes, I do, Tom. ‘Awright.’ He’s uh, real, he’s a real like ‘ACTOR’ !(Depp using gruff voice again with stern look and clenched jaw-very funny!)

***clip of 21 Jump Street***

JH--Then you went on to 21 Jump Street.Um, what was your feeling about that? I remember you were not happy when you were doing that.

JD-From my perspective, I really felt like I was part of an assembly line like at a fast food restaurant. And I didn’t feel it had anything to do with acting and the work, or anything. I really felt like I was just filling up space for Clearasil and Ivory soap and stuff. And I ...it just got to...I didn’t read the scripts, ya know what I mean, I didn’t uh, I just didn’t read the scripts. I just, I ‘d come in and ask the script girl what do I say and she’d tell me and I’d do it.

***clip from 21 Jump Street opening credits***

JD--I can’t say bad things about it coz it was very good for me. There’s no better training to be in front of the camera, ya know, five days a week for 7-8months at a time. Because the technical side becomes second nature, you don’t have to think about it any more.And it kinda put me on the map, to an extent.

***clip of August 21, 1988-21 Jump Street Day in Chicago***

JH-Then you got this title of teen idol. When you first get that, you go, ‘that’s nice’ and then.
JD--I didn’t think it was nice at first.

***another clip of screaming fans in Chicago***

JD--I just knew that they were branding me, I was getting labeled. And uh, with a label I didn’t want. I didn’t want anything to do with any labels, ya know. And when I read Cry-Baby, I knew that was the way to go.To make fun of all those images to make fun of all those labels.

***Clip of Cry Baby--Wade ‘Cry-Baby’ Walker on his motorcycle.***

JH-(voice-over) when we return Depp kisses goodbye his teen idol past by taking a new path and he talks about what it’s like being Don Juan.

***Clip from Don Juan DeMarco with new dialogue---Don Juan-”Women are the closest a man will ever get to God and sex is the ultimate form of worship!”***

After break-

***clip of Cry Baby-French Kissing***

JH (voice over)--Johnny Depp decided to take control over his acting career by lampooning his teen idol image in the John Water’s comedy Cry-Baby. Depp starred along side Water’s campy cast, featuring now talk-show host Rikki Lake, former porn star Traci Lords, and singer Iggy Pop who Depp idolized as a kid.

JD--I, the band I was playing with opened up for Iggy, at some club in Gainesville , FL. I, uh, desperately wanted to, ya know, I wanted to get his attention somehow. I just wanted to somehow get Iggy’s attention. I remember screaming obscenties at him after the club had closed and all the lights were out and about four people in there and I started screaming stuff at him. And, uh, he walked over to me, looked me square in the eye and just went ‘You little turd!’and walked away. I was really happy, ‘oh, I got his attention’. (Depp laughs)

***clip of Edward Scissorhands--Peg Boggs meets Edward***

JH--Then you went on to do Edward Scissorhands. and you said you didn’t think that Tim Burton would see you as the character, why is that?
JD--Well, because the majority’s kinda perception of me was that I was like, uh, TV boy, ya know, TV, uh, TV guy, TV cop.Ya know? I thought well, I’m doomed, ya know, I’m just doomed, this guy’s never gonna see me as Edward Scissorhands, he’s not gonna.... So..when they set up a meeting for me, I actually tried to cancel it, my agent Tracey Jacobs said “no you’re not canceling’ she forced me to have the meeting and uh, thank God she did.

***clip of Edward Scissorhands--Kim and Edward***

JH-voice over with clip of Arizona Dream----After the success of Edward Scissorhands, Depp chose a role in a movie deemed unrealeasable in the US. called Arizona Dream, where he co-starred with Jerry Lewis and faye Dunaway. With the love for music still burning, Depp also starred in a few Music videos, including the Lemonheads “It’s a Shame About Ray” and Tom Petty’s “Into the Great Wide Open” where he once again teamed up with Dunaway.

***clip from Into the Great Wide Open”***
***clip from Benny & Joon with Juliette’s voice over-Depp’s next venture was Benny & Joon.***

JH--I think that was the movie where you really got to show off alot of your talent.
JD--It was, it was just license for me to go into a room and bounce around for a little while.

***clip from Benny & Joon--Sam flying by window***

***clip from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, with voice over by Juliette, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape was released 8 months later. Depp was facing some emotionally trying times during the making that film following the ending of a three year relationship with actress, Winona Ryder.***

JH--I read that while you were doing that movie, you were very unhappy was that because of the subject matter of the film or just the sort of space that you in at the time.

JD--I think it was a combination I think that ,uh, the subject matter, um, some of it (couldn’t make out a couple of words here, maybe town?) was a little close to home and yeah, where I was I guess, emotionally and psychologically at the time, it was just a rough time.

***clip from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape***

JH--Alot of people who write about you they always say you choose oddball roles, outsiders, dreamers, why is that and do you agree with that?

JD--Wouldn’t say that these, I wouldn’t, I don’t think that Ed Wood is that much of an oddball, really. I think that Ed is, uh, was a regular guy who just, who just so happened that he um, felt more comfortable dressed up as a woman. (Depp gives a little shrug and jerk of his head-like why not?)

**clip from Ed Wood--Glenda looking in the window***

***clips of Depp’s arrest in Sept 1994 with voice over by Juliette--Shortly before the release of Ed Wood, Depp was arrested in New York City on charges of criminal mischief after allegedly trashing his hotel room in the presence of girlfriend, model Kate Moss.***

JH--Pryor to that incident Depp has completed filming his next picture Don Juan where he plays a character who truly believes that he is the ficticious Spanish nobleman who bedded over a thousand women .Marlon Brando plays Dr, JackMickler a psychiatrist who talks him the young man out of suicide after hes rejected by his true love..

***clip from Don Juan DeMarco***

JD--Funny thing is, when we first met, I was nervous initially because, ya know, the whole legend sort of precedes him and the myth of Marlon Brando uh, so I was kinda nervous and uh, within the first two seconds of meeting him I was completely at ease. He just instantly made me feel comfortable.

***clip from Don Juan DeMarco***

Voice over by Juliette with clip of Don Juan DeMarco. In Johnny Depp’s latest role Don Juan DeMarco, he plays a young man committed to a Queens, New York hospital as a delusional patient who believes he’s Don Juan. Spending his days in the office of Marlon Brando’s character Dr. Mickler, the young man recounts wild tales of love, lust, and romance.

JH--Let’s talk about the first scene where you walk into a hotel for your last conquest.
JD--Yes

***clip from Don Juan DeMarco-The hotel restaurant scene***

JH- What’s going on in the character’s mind at that stage?
JD--Well, he figures he’s gonna, uh, he’s gonna take himself out, so he’s gonna uh, he’s gonna go out uh, gracefully, I suppose. He’s gonna uh, really enjoy his last few moments on earth.

JH--What makes him such a great lover, do you think?
JD--I think what would probably make Juan a great lover is uh, being consicous of the other person and sorta of trying to make ,uh... Boy!, how do you say this stuff without getting filthy? Try to uh, take good care of them. (laughs, slightly embarrassed)

JH--This seems to be the kind of movie I think you have to be in love to be able to do, do you know what I mean?
JD--Yeah, I see what you mean, yeah. Um, well, it’s a good thing I was in love while making Don Juan. It’s a very good thing. Yeah, it gives you a lot of things to draw on, for sure. There’s a whole lot of, alot of inventory to think about, all kinds of available stimulus. (Laughs)

***clip from Don Juan DeMarco-- Don Juan explains to Dona Ana how many lovers he’s had***

JH--Have you ever been in that position yourself?
JD-- I uh, I uh, I decline to answer on the grounds that, no, ya know, I, I haven’t I just thought, I just remember looking in a Geraldine’s eyes when I was saying it when we were doing the scene, and she had the saddest look on her face (laughs) when I said that, it really made me laugh. And the guy’s telling her, ya know, I’ve had 1500 other lovers besides you and she’s just got this, this sad look, it really made me laugh. (laughs again)

***clip from Don Juan DeMarco--Don Juan ‘He’s going to kill me!’***

JH-While the majority of Johnny Depp’s movies have relatively successful outings, it has been rumored that he has turned down some of the biggest roles in Hollywood, including blockbusters such as Speed and Interview with a Vampire, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

JD-Everything that I have done uh, everything that I’ve been lucky enough to do, um, it’s been exactly what I’ve wanted to do, with exactly the people I’ve wanted to do work with. Ya know? So I couldn’t, I couldn’t be happier about any of that. I feel uh, very lucky. I could never do something just based on what it might do at the box office. That’s, that’s, it’s not my business, my business is to just to make faces in the movie (laughs), ya know, do a bunch of goofy stuff and uh, get paid for it, I guess.

ending credits has four outtakes of Johnny:

1--’I’m jus widdled wiff it, I’m widdled wiff it!’
2--(not sure what he is saying here, but it appears to be a Brando impression)
3--’People always tell me you’re smoking in an interview, people are watching and you’re bad!’
4--Johnny points to Juliette and whispers,’She’s smoking, too.'