Return to Interview page

The Swan in a Cage of Monkeys
article by Uwe Knopf
translation: Katarina

Beautiful, mysterious, nonconformist: Johnny Depp is Hollywood's most successful outsider. And also his latest movie is a bit different again - as a melancholy policeman he is chasing Jack the Ripper in the foggy gloom of London.

Romantics of all worlds and times agree that man dreams his life, and the dreams of actor Johnny Depp glow dark, he dreams in minor key. In order to distinguish him from his fellow actors critics refer to Depp's "dark side", but actually he is all dark sides. His interest is fantasy, he is an adventurer, so-called reality only plays a supporting role with him. The crowd in Hollywood fear, admire and need this man who has so much in common with those dreamers of 200 years ago. Amongst the glitter of stars and studio bosses he gives the impression of a swan in a cage of monkeys.
Even the dumbest of his few critics in Germany respect Depp and dare not imply the pun on his name, and for ten years the jurors of outward appearance have been ranking him among the most beautiful. Besides his melancholy there is a lot of gentleness, never exuberance or eccentricity. He has got a winning walk and posture, and then these eyes, this face! His cheekbones seem to almost touch his forehead. Like Kim Basinger, who could be his sister, he is of Native American ancestry - his grandmother was a Navajo - and thus the Depps have always been marked by the serenity of the chiefs. "Fortune is at the steering wheel", says Depp while lighting his fifth cigarette in an hour: Smoking suits him, inhaling only appears to be a means of contemplation. The rating "outsider" almost rendered a caricature definitely applies to Johnny Depp - he does not walk main roads but chooses the paths hardly anyone knows. Beside him even James Dean shrinks and becomes well-adjusted.
Now Depp plays another oddball: in the horror crime story "From Hell", inspector Fred Abberline, who investigates into the serial murders of Jack the Ripper, and even a monster like Hannibal Lecter must be impressed by the bloodbath the Ripper caused in 1888. Within ten weeks he killed five whores in the London slums of Whitechapel, slitting the women in the manner of a surgeon or butcher he removed the viscera and sent inner organs via mail to the police in order to humiliate them; the parcels came "From Hell" (release 02-28) and soon the whole of London was turned into hell.
The Ripper was never caught, there are various theories as to his identity and motives, the horror stuff was on TV and the big screen frequently; this time Abberline/Depp suspects some conspiracy in which even royalty is involved - Satan might be Sir. During their investigations Abberline and his Sergeant Godley (Robbie Coltrane, the fatty from "In Any Case Fitz") form an ideal match, with Godley providing evidence and facts whereas Abberline shuts himself off, smokes opium, drinks absinth and is led by the logic of his visions. The policemen's originality is the strong point of this film that re-creates the atmosphere of fright, rumors and denunciation.
The location of shooting was Prague, every shadow, every alley poses a danger and Depp is in the center of that gloom. The whores set their hopes on him who himself is despaired after the death of his wife. His whiskers tremble when he faces the Ripper's victims, and bleeding himself in one clip, his look seems to say: serves me right, I deserve the pain. Only Depp can portray this and Hollywood ought to be ashamed for not having awarded him an Oscar, yet. For Depp was also "Ed Wood" regarded the worst director in the history of movies who dressed in drag and with his unbroken faith in himself and his botch developed a very special magic of his own. And Depp was "Edward Scissorhands" an artificial being people fall for although his fingers are knives; due to some sinister intrigues, however, he runs into trouble, the mob drives him away and having to leave his girl behind he flees into loneliness. This film mixes oddity with most bitter poetry and director Tim Burton recognizes his alter ego in Johnny Depp. Burton explains his sense of humor, his follies and his inclination to the absurd with the fact that he stayed in California too long and got too much sun on his head. For Depp the cheerfulness and heat of the South was also a painful experience: born in Kentucky, he was raised in Florida and some of the crocodiles still have that sad look in their eyes because Johnny used to sit at the swamps gazing into the emptiness like someone lost. Depp dropped out of school, tried this and that, plucked his guitar until Nicholas Cage found him a job at the movies. Depp is a divorce child, his father, an engineer, walked out on his mother (a waitress) and like Elvis adored his mother Johnny loves his Mom - he wears a tattoo with her name. Anyway, with his tattoos Depp wants to turn his body into a journal of skin. When Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder split he shortened his "Winona" tattoo to "wino" = drunkard. Sometimes even Johnny Depp is practically-minded.
After Winona there was model Kate Moss, now Johnny is steady with French Vanessa Paradis who tries singing and acting. Johnny Depp prefers waif women, they must have his delicate build. Pamela Anderson would leave him cold. With Vanessa Depp has finally settled down: as a child he was always on the road, had to move house about thirty times, now he wants to stay where he unpacked his bags - in the South of France. "For 35 years I ran through a kind of fog without any aim", sighs Depp and takes three gulps from his coffee that he counts in liters not in cups. Now and then he smokes pot but he no longer needs any other drugs to relax. A little girl is crawling towards his chair, yes, Johnny and Vanessa have a daughter, the little one's name is Lily-Rose Melody, and that is by no means a disadvantage, for Lily-Rose Melody Paradis just sounds wonderful.
Depp loves sitting with his daughter in the village cafe he orders a glass of liqueur and is happy that the French do not know him. In this country, out of a sudden, his fears and self doubts have vanished, they do not trouble him anymore. Depp still owns his club in Los Angeles, "the Viper Room" in front of which the actor River Phoenix died of a drug overdose. But he speaks with disgust of his home country, "I know", he says, "what kind of 'values' make up the American Dream - greed for money, hypocrisy, violence." Sooner would Depp have his cheekbones lowered or be married to a woman discus thrower than raise his daughter in the USA. He has earned enough dough, he does not have to do any crap, mainstream is not his kind of stream. Depp does not waste time on fashion and other trappings, his badge of hipness is his woolly hat. He usually dresses like a Hippie longing for the spirit of Woodstock. His first film part was in the horror classic "Nightmare on Elm Street" and experts think that Depp dresses as badly as monster Freddy Kruger. But Johnny does not care at all, and his love to Vanessa can bear any problems style may arouse. "High heels are the devil's invention", says Johnny when Vanessa is sprucing herself up. Then she goes to the fridge to fetch a yoghourt light, and she must smile, for there are insects in the egg shelf: Johnny Depp, grace and stubbornness personified collects dead bugs.