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April 9, 1995 Tropic (Miami Herald) By Robert Hofler
Lunch with Johnny Depp

The "word" on Don Juan DeMarco is that Marlon Brando has passed the mantle to Johnny Depp. But with all due respect to both actors, they star in the same aforementioned movie, but they perform out of totally different ballparks. Depp has never played an earth animal like Stanley Kowalski. And Brando, for all his years, has yet to tackle anything so whimsically lyrical as the robotic Edward Scissorhands, the possessed Ed Wood, or the romantically demented Don Juan DeMarco. In other words, Brando is the apple to Depp's orange. That said, Brando walks (no, waddles) through Don Juan DeMarco while Depp just keeps getting better…and weirder. The 30-year-old actor is best known for his quirky portrayals of misfits. In Don Juan DeMarco, the idiosyncratic Depp plays a young Latin lover who sincerely believes he has scored 1,502 women, to be exact. Brando, as the psychiatrist, is out to prove the boy is wrong. Will our Don Juan be put on medication? Will romance survive? Does Hollywood still know how to give a happy ending? In movie circles, Depp maintains a pretty romantic image of himself. He was every teenage girl's heartthrob when he starred in TV's 21 Jump Street. He hated that image so he lampooned it in John Water's send-up, Cry Baby. But the romantic puppy-dog image endured in tabloids when he took up with Winona Ryder and had the words "Winona Forever" tattooed on his right arm. When Ryder was replaced by supermodel Kate Moss, Depp had it amended to read, reportedly, "Wino Forever,"

Like Don Juan, are you romantic?
My parents split up when I was 15, and I was raised by two sisters. But I wholeheartedly believe that, in a society where people get divorced every five minutes, you can stay married for 50 years. And that's beautiful.
How do you express your romanticism?
Every time I finish a movie, I escape to Paris. There's something in the air. You can't touch it. There's magic there. And a wonderful appreciation for art.
Do you believe in ghosts?
Oh Yeah.
Have you ever seen one?
I'm not sure. I saw a surgeon once. I was staying in this hotel in England. It used to be a hospital, and I saw this evil surgeon who came at me. And I wasn't asleep and I wasn't under any type of stimulants. [Laughs] I was straight, and it scared me. It was great. I liked it.
Speaking of legends, is it difficult acting with Marlon Brando?
Initially, Just the mention of the name Marlon Brando, and you think back to the myth and how huge that name is. I was real nervous on the way over to his house. As soon as I saw him, though, he instantly and magically put me at ease, simply by saying hello to me. So luckily all that myth just disappeared and there was this great guy.
The story is that you recommended Marlon Brando for the part of the shrink in Don Juan DeMarco.
When I read the script, all I kept seeing was Marlon Brando as the psychiatrist. So when they asked me, "Who do you think would be good as the psychiatrist," I said Marlon Brando. They looked at me like I was [makes a crazy face] …I guess they just never expected me to suggest him.
You've made some very different, offbeat movies. Do you ever feel the need to do a commercial, mainstream movie, like Speed?
[Laughs] Of course, there is obviously a balance that you have to have in this town. It's a tricky balance to maintain. My agents already think I'm weird, but they've been supportive. It's difficult for me to judge what's mainstream and what's not. But when I read the first 10 pages of a script, and it's obvious that they're trying to make a mainstream film-I'm not interested in that. I like to experiment. The idea that you could fail horribly is kind of seductive.
But you usually play very eccentric, downright weird characters, why?
I don't think of them as being weird or eccentric. Take Ed Wood, for instance. I saw him dressing up in women's clothing as just his way of unwinding. It was no different than some guy kicking back a few beers at the end of a busy day. But I must say, I hate angora sweaters. Have you ever inhaled that stuff? I was hacking up fur balls!
Do you ever take any of these roles home with you?
I have read about actors who say, "I was the character" or "Don't call me by Johnny Depp. Call me Don Juan." I don't believe any of that. But the strange thing is that when I was doing Ed Wood, I would come home form work and I couldn't shake that smile. I couldn't get rid of it. A friend of mine said, "Would you please stop with that smile! Stop that smile!" So there are certain things that you do take home.
And what about Don Juan?
Don Juan believes in himself, in what he is and who he is, and I can relate to that. But at the same time, he's so foreign to me-this guy says, "I am the world's greatest lover." I mean, I could never say that. To tell you the truth, I think that everybody is nuts. Everybody is completely out of their heads most of the time.
Why do you say that?
Watch people sometimes. Watch people at restaurants, walking down the street, driving in their car. People are absolutely insane. They are. Look at us!
You're much respected in Hollywood, but you've never got an Oscar nomination. Do you feel cheated?
The idea of awards, in general, is really strange. I wouldn't say that it is my goal. My goal is to do the best I can, to deliver a performance. It's nice to be acknowledged for your work. But I am not looking to win any contests. Marlon Brando said it best. He told me that they should be called gifts, not awards. He said, "Why don't they give them to the best plumber or the best electrician?" Now, that would make sense.