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UK CHANNEL 4 weekday breakfast show - RI:SE
Interview with Johnny Depp on 7th August 2003, aired at 7.15 am
with Dougie Anderson (a Scot).

DA: OK, so here I am about to have a chat with the man, Johnny Depp. It is lovely to meet you Johnny.

JD: You too.

DA: I know you have a bit of a cold so. . .

JD: Yeah, I hope you wipe your hand off, yeah.

DA: Yeah (laughs, looks embarrassed) . . . not the best start! Your character, Captain Jack Sparrow, is English. I would imagine doing an English accent is a complete doddle for you now after, you know, sort of being in the "Fast Show", "From Hell", it must come quite easy, doesn't it?

JD: Anything after Scottish is really easy, man! (laughs). I did Scottish for. . . (Pause) "Neverland" . . . very difficult, man. Very difficult.

DA: Give it a blast.

JD: No, no I can't.

DA: Oh come on, man. I can do American.

JD: I can't bring it back. . . let's hear an American.

DA: (in an awful American accent) You're dogging me, man.

JD: (laughs)

DA: I can't believe that I am doing an American accent to Johnny Depp!

JD: You did very well!

DA: Aww! You don't have to say that, it was shocking!

JD: (in Scottish accent) It was great. (pronounced "GREET")

DA: It was great?

JD: It was great.

DA: Super . . . umm. I don't know if this is true, but I really hope it is, you modelled your character partly on Keith Richards? (Clip of Keith Richards in concert).

JD: Yeah. I just felt, you know, I was thinking about pirates in the 18th century and what were they, what would you be able to compare them to today? Really they were the sort of rock and roll stars of that time. (montage of POTC scenes)

DA: Now POTC is based on an amusement ride at Disneyland.

JD: Yeah.

DA: Would there ever be, would you ever be tempted to go for, I don't know, "Wet & Wild, Revenge of the Log Flume"? Anything like that?

JD: (looking more interested) Yeah, that would be great, man! Why not! Yeah. Just get a group of 40 year old men, put on, like you know, thongs and whatnot and slide around, and grease up and slide down in the pool!

DA: I'll tell you a lot of girls come to movies just to see you in a thong, man. . .

JD: (Looks down, embarrassed) Oh God, can you imagine!

DA: . . .but I don't know if they'd like to see 40 year olds as well!

JD: (Laughs) (clip of scenes from PTOC)

DA: Now, Mckensie Crook is in the film with you, I don't know if you did any scenes together?

JD: Yeah.

DA: Have you seen "The Office"?

JD: Yeah I did, yeah.

DA: Big fan?

JD: Fantastic.

DA: Genius isn't it?

JD: Unbelievable.

DA: Absolute genius. . . Orlando Bloom as well, big laughs on set with him? (more clips from POTC)

JD: Yeah, yeah good man, yeah. Angus Burnett, Jack Davenport, Keira Knightley.

DA: Apparently as well, I don't know if you know this, I'm just going to pop in another stat, its got more violence in it than any other Disney film.

JD: Is that right?

DA: I think that's a good thing, try to subvert it slightly.

JD: I don't know. I've seen quite a few of the Disney animated cartoons, my daughter's 4, you know, "Mulan" is pretty violent. Quite a few there.

DA: I've just remembered a bad bit in the "Fox & the Hound", now I come to think of it!

JD: (laughs) (more clips from POTC)

DA: Now, if we can just get off the movie track for a second, I know that you are obviously a massive music fan. . .

JD: uh-hu

DA: . . .you know, people of Britain know that you played on "Be Here Now" and things like that, I was just wondering, if you had the chance of headlining Glastonbury, the massive Glastonbury festival, or fighting skeleton pirates with a cutlass between your teeth. . . what would you go for?

JD: I think I'd have to . . . I think I'd have to . . . umm, yeah I'd have to fight the pirates.

DA: Oh!

JD: I think so.

DA: I was sure you were going to go for Glastonbury!

JD: Can't do it! (clips from POTC)

DA: Do you feel kinda slightly frustrated musician, or is your chosen career path the one you're glad, you're glad you went into?

JD: No, I'm happy it sort of ended up this way. I think if music had become a job for me, you know, I'd of sort of lost my first love. The fact that it is still a passion for me, it's not what I do for a living.

DA: But film pays the bills, I guess?

JD: (slightly embarrassed) Kinda, yeah . . . sorta.

DA: It's like me, man, music is my first love, but unfortunately I can't play a solo to save myself. But then I get to meet people like you, so it's kinda ok.

JD: Well, we'll have to start a band and, you know, together and headline Glastonbury

DA: Now you are talking!

JD: Absolutely! That's what I'm talking about.

DA: Anderson, Depp, 100,000 fans!

JD: I can see it now, yeah! (sips water)

DA: Now that you've said that, I will be sort of bombarding your people with letters. Remember Johnny said we could be in a band.

JD: (Genuine laugh)

DA: Imagine the disappointment when I turn up at Glastonbury! In fact, this is quite a seamless segway. in a recent interview, I don't know if you know about this, but Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's wife obviously, said that the only actor who could play Ozzy . . .

JD: (starts to smile)

DA: . . . is yourself, this is absolutely true.

JD: That's fantastic!

DA: I mean, would you be interested?

JD: Yeah . . . I mean, yeah. He's fascinating to watch. He's a . . . he's a fascinating, yeah, human. Yeah.

DA: Say if their people got to your people and said "we'd love for Johnny to play the part of Ozzy", do you think you'd do it?

JD: If it was. . . I mean, you know, I'd have to read the script and stuff first. But err, yeah!

DA: But if the script was good?

JD: If it happens, you will get 10 per cent.

DA: Oh, really?

JD: Well, you're the middle-man now, you're brokering the deal, man!

DA: Not only 10 per cent, but an exclusive as well, which is fairly gratifying from my position.

JD: Maybe 20 per cent!

DA: One last question for you. And hopefully you won't sit on the fence too much. If you had to choose, it's quite a difficult question, one film from your career which, for whatever reason, you were most proud of, what would that one film be?

JD: Wow. . . one film, one film, one film, "Scissorhands".

DA: Is it "Scissorhands"?

JD: I think so, yeah.

DA: Oh! I was sure. . .

JD: Or maybe "Ed Wood", I don't know.

DA: Say that again.

JD: Maybe "ED Wood".

DA: What did I think you were going to go for? (holds up a card with "Ed Wood" written on it).

JD: (laughs politely, leans forward to check that he hadn't written on all the cards). . . . Doesn't say. . .

DA: No, no, that's all, the rest are questions. I thought of that. Now I feel like David Blane or something! I can only thank you very much, so much for your time . . .

JD: Not at all.

DA: . . . and all I ask, as I leave this room just now, is remember that 10 per cent if you do get the part of Ozzy Osbourne!

JD: Yeah, if . . if. . if that comes down, we'll have to, you know, we'll have to get together and I'll get you that 10 per cent!

DA: Och! Even a drink would be fine. A pleasure to meet you Johnny! (Shakes hands)

JD: We'll do that as well!

DA: Yeah, absolutely! Take care, a real pleasure to meet you!

JD: My pleasure.