Johnny Depp is not an actor, he is a character well-aware of his complexity and uniqueness of style. He is the reinterpretation of the two-faced Janus, as he appeals to a multitude of masks in order to deliver wide ranging characters and eventually becomes the masks he exhibits in such a bewildering manner. His performances captivate and enthrall the audience, every time unpredictable, every time eternal and they hold spellbound even box offices. With all these aspects, the 51-year-old actor disagrees as has decided to step aside from the utterly demanding position of lead in the acting industry and shouts to the world his judgment of ‘’not giving a (..)’’.
In a recent Details interview, the chameleonic actor confessed his ultimate decision of renouncing to limit his own freedom for the sake of well-selling characters. The passage to a less concerned kind of actor comes as a consequence of his previous highly devoted and perfectionist way of dealing with the course of his artistic career and the need of satisfying the demands and exigencies of every critic. Depp indicates as origin of his decision the teachings of the late Marlon Brando, who was both his close friend and mentor (they collaborated for Don Juan DeMarco in 1994). He recalls: ‘’As Marlon once so beautifully (…) said to me, life is a birdsong. That’s stuck with me.’’ The ephemerality of life leaves tracks on every minute of our existence as it drags us away from people, moments, acts, roles. The major question of this equation is what are we left with once the curtain is down and the lights are out? Brando replies through Depp: ‘’For everybody, the clock’s ticking. The main thing is whether you sit there and stare at the clock in fear of your ultimate demise—which is pointless—or you just live.’’
Although on some level odd and unexpected, the confession of Johnny Depp is somehow understandable if we take a look at his crowded schedule and numerous films starting from next month. So, it begins: salute the big bad Wolf from Into the Woods at the end of December, party along with the aficionado art dealer, eponymous character Mortdecai in January 2015, fear Whitey Bulger in the Black Mass of September 2015, invite to tea the Mad Hatter – which indeed maddened him greatly – in the comeback of Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass and, of course, how could we forget about his return as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in the summer of 2017. Add to this insanity the craziness of journalists, the pressure of speeches and awards and we get a drained, toil-worn Johnny Depp. Top everything with the once in a while escapade as guitarist for different rock/ industrial/ country bands and we’re done.
This hunt is tiresome and the now 51-year-old actor does not wish to loose himself in the process of satisfying those who expect for him to top each and every box office once a Johnny Depp movie premiers: ‘’It’s like being a dog at the track.’’ The turnaround is based on a previous exaggerated amount of caring, which has now shifted to the other side of the barrier: ‘’Suddenly you care enough to not give a (…) because not giving a (…), that’s the total liberation. Being game to try anything.’’ He confesses everything in the remembrance of Marlon Brando, who first introduced him to this point of view upon the world… and the not caring does not refer to non-caring per say or to the numbness of the soul, but to a certain liberation from the boundaries of stardom, followed closely by a well-deserved redemption of spirit.