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UK Radio 1 Johnny Depp Interview (Saturday 2nd Feb 2002)
Transcript by Natz
JT = Jamie Theakston
JD = Johnny Depp
JT – “You’re listening to Radio 1, with me, Jamie Theakston & Johnny Depp. Ummm… that sounds quite cool…”
JD – “What?”
JT – “With me, Jamie Theakston & Johnny Depp. ‘Coz it’s almost like we’re co-hosts on the show.”
JD – “Yes! Yeah.”
JT – “We could” (laughs)
JD – “Who’s our first guest??” (laughs)
JT – “Errr… we have… Megan is our first guest. Anything you’d like to ask Megan Johnny?”
JD – “Megan, where did you get your shoes?”
M – “A trainer shop in London.”
JD – “Ah! Being vague about it!”
JT – “She’s a very sly lady. You’ll have to watch out for her...”
JD – “I see, I see.”
JT – “Anyway. Listen. Errr… it’s great to have you on the show”
JD – “Thanks man!”
JT – “Thanks for coming on uh… more exciting actually I have to say for Megan and Anna who have been sort of in a state of convulsion all week…”
JD – “Ha!” (laughs some more)
JT – “I have to say. If they start dribbling at any time…”
JD – (laughs again LOL)
JT – “… during the interview, you’ll just have to ignore them. It’ll, it’ll pass. Anyway, so listen – you’re new film’s out.”
JD – “Yes.”
JT – “Err… next week.”
JD – “Yes.”
JT – “I understand this is your… something like your 32nd film now?”
JD – “I dunno.”
JT – “Is that right?”
JD – “I dunno. I have no idea! Is that right?”
JT – “We think so. Our crack research team here reckons that’s a pretty impressive body of work for someone so young!”
JD – “I should retire! Immediately!”
JT – (laughs)
JD – “I should retire immediately.”
JT – “But it’s err… Talk us through it. I mean, it’s called From Hell and it’s like… Well it’s the Jack The Ripper story right?
JD – “Yeah. It’s a Jack The Ripper umm... errr… story. It’s one of the more interesting errr… of the theories, of the various theories of the Ripper case ummm…. Which involves theeee royal conspiracy. Very exciting.
JT – “And I know obviously one of the things you must get asked a lot coming over, especially coming over here is that you do this… you do an East End accent?
JD – “Yeah. Kind-of. Yep. Yep. Mine… I think it’s mmmm focused a little more… towards the South but… (mumbles on a bit more & I couldn’t make it out LOL)
JT – “Well it’s very good!
JD – “Oh. Thanks man!”
JT – “Did you spend a lot of time kind-of studying Eastenders videos to make sure you got it spot on?
JD – (laughs) “Nah. Y’know I, I err… I had the good fortune of spending a lot of time in errr… in England and errr…with various people y’know over the years in, in err… London. So errr… Yeah, it just kinda rubbed off on me y’know?
JT – “Would you be able to do a bit for us now? I mean, if I said to you err… I mean this is a classic Eastenders line – something like ummm… ‘Shall we go for a coupla pints ‘round the Queen Vic?’ Could you do that in your err…
JD – (In a BRILLIANT cockney accent :>) “Go for a coupla pints ‘round the Queen Vic?” (I was thinking NO! Don’t put Johnny on the spot!! But he pulled it off fine :>).
JT – “Y’see! That is amazing!” (turns to Megan & Anna) “Isn’t that good??!” (they then applaud LOL)
JD – (laughs) “Ammm bless you! Bless you! (in some other accent that sounded really strange LOL).
JT – (laughs too). “The wonderful Heather Grahem’s in the film as well.
JD – “She is.”
JT – “Ummm… now she plays, I mean, she’s kinda amoungst this group of girls who are kinda sort-of old crones – bad teeth ummm… messed up, kinda grubby looking ladies. She, on the other hand, always seems to remain…
JD – “Picky!”
JT – (laughing a little more) “She’s immaculate throughout the whole film. Did you notice that?”
JD – (clears throat).
JT – “Did they have private dentistry in 19th Century East London?”
JD – “Actually I… Y’know what? In fact (laughs) I didn’t notice that.”
JT – “Coz she looks great and I was wondering, did she have that maybe in her contract that she has to have her hair nice and…”
JD – “Actually it’s just y’know – Cleanliness is next to Godliness and err… I suppose it goes along those lines.”
JT – “You’ve done… Often people kind of errr… discuss the way errr… the kind of films you choose. What criteria do you use yourself when it comes to selecting roles?”
JD – “Ummm… Just if it’s something that… if it interests me, really. Y’know. I mean it has lots to do with the filmmaker of course but err… I dunno, generally I can tell within the firs 3, 5, 10 pages of the thing whether it’s for me or not.”
JT – “Do you deliberately kind of avoid the sort-of big budget Hollywood blockbuster type roles?”
JD – “Yes.”
JT – (laughing) “Right. Okay. Well… glad we sorted that one out.”
JD – (laughs)
JT – “Listen, we’re gonna play… We’re gonna talk a little more to Johnny in a minute. We’re gonna play a record now I think. Is there anything you want us to play? Coz I feel like we’re co-hosting the show now.”
JD – “Oh wow.”
JT – “Anything particular that you want to play now?”
JD – “Boy, yeah. Yeah… ummm… lets see… Can you play something by the
JT – “Err… let me just… lets just check on…”
JD – “You don’t think so?”
JT – “Anything, anything else?”
JD – (laughing) “Lets see…”
(Anna whispers ‘Britney Spears’ to Johnny)
JD – (in a Roux kind of way :>) “What? Who’s that?”
JT – “Anna, Johnny’s not gonna be a Britney Spears fan for goodness sake. Well… we don’t know!”
JD – “Actually, actually…. I have a request! Could you play, could you play a Britney Spears song backwards?”
JT – “There… well…”
JD – “Is that possible?”
JT – “There are obviously some subliminal devil messages when you play Britney Spears song’s backwards!”
JD – “I, I mean… I’d like to investigate.”
JT – “Yeah? Okay, well we’ll try that now.”
JD – “Can you work something out? At least do y’know… at least a few minutes of something y’know…”
JT – “Lets do that and if it is REALLY disturbing and the nation are upset…”
JD – “Slow!”
JT – “Slowly?”
JD – “Yeah, slowly. Backwards and slowly.”
JT – (laughing again) We’ll see what we can do. This is Britney Spears backwards err… for Johnny Depp.”
JD – “And slowly!”
JT – “And slowly.”
JD – “Yep.”
(PLAYS MUSIC)
JT – “That’s, that’s… well that’s the Devil’s work!! (he then plays the ‘proper’ version).
JT – “So that was Britney Spears err… you’re listening to Radio 1 with err… Johnny Depp and Jamie Theakston. Notice how I just put you above in the pecking order there. Did you notice that?”
JD – (laughs AGAIN LOL)
JT – “Now I feel that you’ve already played a record on the show.”
JD – “Yeah.”
JT – “You now get TOP billing.”
JD – “(laughing) “That’s very sweet of you.”
JT – “Errr… Johnny are you enjoying your time here in London? I know you’ve, you’ve been here many times now, but is it a place you enjoy coming to visit?
JD – “Oh yeah! Sure, I love coming here.”
JT – “Where abouts did you make the film? ‘Cause it was set in East End London . Did you film it over here?”
JD – “No. We shot, we shot a little bit here. Very little but err… we shot the majority of it in err… the Czech Republic, and they built… the East End of London. They built Whitechapel err… out in sort-of, on this err... sound y’know, on this studio… They built Whitechapel. It was ten blocks of Whitechapel. It was REALLY impressive. It was amazing, y’know – cobblestone streets, the whole bit.”
JT – “But you live in France now is that right?”
JD – “Yeah, between France and the States.”
JT – “And what’s that like? I mean, I’ve got this idea of a kind-of little countryside inn, or little French farmhouse…”
JD – “Kind-of deal.”
JT – “…with the lady, the little one…”
JD – “Kind-of deal. Basically like that.”
JT – “It must be nice.”
JD – “Yeah, yeah. I mean, it’s the first time that I’ve… Ive ever actually felt err… at HOME anywhere. It’s the first time I’ve… Yeah. In many years had the opportunity to live a normal life. Y’know – you don’t live the life of a novelty or a… yeah.”
JT – “And do the French kind-of treat you as one of their own now?”
JD – “Yeah!”
JT – “That must be nice.”
JD – “Yeah.”
JT – “So what’s the plan next? What… Have you got any other films in the pipeline? Have you got any other films lined up?”
JD – “No. I’ve been unemployed for err… now for quite a long time. I did a…”
JT – (laughing) “Are you signing on?”
JD – “Huh?”
JT – “Are you signing on?”
JD – “Yeah! Yeah. Definitly. Definitely. Gonna y’know, gonna stand in line and what-not.” (laughs)
JT – “Yeah.”
JD – “Ummm there’s a film I did with Robert Rodriguez. This thing called Once Upon A Time In Mexico that I did a small part in. It was really fun. That’ll be a good one I think. Errr… other than that just unemployed.”
JT – “Looking for work?”
JD – Yeah, yeah.”
JT – “So anyone that’s listening at home. Maybe they’ve got a film project they can maybe send in ideas. We’ll pass them on to you.”
JD – “Yeah, but you just gave me top billing, so I…”
JT – “Sure.”
JD – “I figured I’d been welcomed into the fold.”
JT – “Well listen, y’know. Anytime you wanna come and do this show you’d be more than welcome. Infact, shall we… Time to play another record I think err… Johnny’s in charge of music today.”
JD – “Okay.”
JT – “Anything err… that paticlularly grabs your fancy? We’ve done Britney Spears backwards.”
JD – “Britney backwards and slow errr….”
JT – (laughs)
JD – “Lets see… How do you compliment that? Anybody you wanna make a suggestion anyone? Errr…”
JT – “What do you reckon girls?”
Anna & Megan – “So Solid Crew?”
JT – (to Johnny) “Have you heard of these guys?”
JD – “No.”
JT – “So Solid Crew is like a group of about… well there’s probably about sixty of them now! No, there is thirty, but they’re like rabbits – they just breed! They’re a group of London DJ’s/MC’s into err…”
JD – “Lets try it!”
JT – “Do you wanna give it a go?”
JD – “Yeah! Lets try that.”
JT – “Okay, this is err… Johnny’s second record (well it’s not essentially your record is it? But you’re happy to listen to it).”
JD – “Yeah, I’m very happy to listen to it.”
JT – “Okay, this is the So Solid Crew, but before we play that…I’d just like to thank Johnny for coming in today, ‘cause I know you’re a busy man and you have to get off.”
JD – “Oh no, no, no! Thank you!” (hehe) “Thanks for having me.”
JT – “But err… thanks again. Good luck with the film.”
JD – “Oh I wanna come back err… next week!”
JT – “Yeah, next Saturday! 10 ‘till 1 - The Johnny Depp Show on Radio One!
(PLAY SONG)
JT – “So! Johnny Depp. What a guy! Thanks so much for coming on the show Johnny. Nice to look at, not a huge amount to say, but err… I thought we were all fond of him on the show. He can come back anytime.”
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