Johnny Depp Couldn't Believe What Graham Norton Said About His Career

August 04, 2024

Highlights

Johnny Depp is known for embodying characters and bringing something new to every story he tells on the big screen, making him the epitome of a character actor.
Depp's humble demeanor shines through in interviews, as shown when he couldn't believe the high praise Graham Norton gave him on his talk show.
Depp's unique process of physically becoming his characters and drawing inspiration from different sources, such as saunas, has contributed to his success in creating iconic roles like Captain Jack Sparrow.

Johnny Depp is the epitome of the character actor. He is able to embody the character that he is portraying each and every time he is on the big screen, bringing something new to each story being told.

While Depp has been able to create some memorable characters over the years, he has never been one to be cocky about his abilities as an actor. Depp also isn't one to watch his movies when they are completed. Instead, his humbleness shines through with every interview he does. This was made abundantly clear when Depp could not believe what Graham Norton said about his career when on the talk show.

Johnny Depp Refuses To Release His Controversial Directorial Debut In The US

Johnny Depp refuses to change his vision on the first film he directed which is likely why it will never be released in the US.

Not only was Norton highly complimentary of Depp and what he brings to the screen as an actor, but the rest of the celebrities on the panel were as well.

Graham Norton Paid Johnny Depp A Surprising Compliment

Norton is a talk show host who is known for his humor and his rapport with his guests. As such, big-name celebrities enjoy being part of the panel that makes up each episode, such as Depp.

However, during the episode where Depp appeared, he was thrown off guard after Norton paid a surprising compliment to Depp that the actor was not expecting.

"You're the best character actor in the world," Norton said to Depp.

"Good lord, man," Depp replied, shocked.

Norton went on to say, "Well you are. You've turned the character actor into a global superstar."

"No, I think it's more like some form of schizophrenia that has just worked for me," Depp said.

Depp went on to explain, "What I enjoy really is the sort of extreme quiet at the end of the first take. You go and do your bit and then suddenly you hear, 'cut' and [pauses for a moment of silence]."

"Is that a new kind of pressure when the studio executives are kind of like 'Oh my God'?" Norton asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Depp replied.

Johnny Depp's Fans Are Disgusted By His Teeth So Why Is He Proud Of Them?

Johnny Depp's teeth have grossed out fans in the past yet he has discussed how proud of them he is.

The way that executives react to Depp's approach to a role in conjunction with his creative approach to each character is what helps Depp to bring his characters to life. But just how that creative process works or where genius strikes differs for each role that Depp plays.

Johnny Depp's Process When It Comes To Creating Signature Characters

When Depp comes up with characters for his films, he physically changes to become that character. Many times he bases the characters he portrays on real people. Johnny has even been inspired by talk show hosts.

Other times, inspiration comes to Depp when in a relaxed state, like being in a sauna, as Depp explained while on The Graham Norton Show. This is how Depp came up with how Captain Jack Sparrow would behave in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

"Do you come to the set with these fully formed or do you work with the director or how does it happen that you create those?" Norton asked Depp.

Depp replied, "Yeah, generally they're born out of whatever they're born out of. I've had them... born out of the sauna, being an extreme."

This process of being in a sauna is something that Depp did intentionally to affect his state of mind. Had the Edward Scissorhands star not done this, his iconic swashbuckler character may never have been born.

"This sounds weird but Captain Jack was born in a sauna. My sauna," Depp explained. "I was looking at various aspects of the character and I figured this guy has been on the high seas for the majority of his life and therefore has dealt with inescapable heat to the brain. So I cranked the sauna up to about 1000 degrees and sat in there as long as I could until it started to affect me mentally. It was very, very hot, as was my brain."

Depp went on to say, "While you’re in there in that kind of heat you can’t stand still, but the worst of it is if you move, it kills you. So that gave me the idea that his brain has been par-boiled to some degree. Also in terms of his body language, I felt that when he was on the ship he would be fine as the ship would be bounding away. He would have sea legs, but when he gets on land he cannot get land legs."

Did Johnny Depp Really Change The Shape Of His Face For Willy Wonka In Charlie And The Chocolate Factory?

Johnny Depp went to great lengths to make his portrayal of Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as authentic as possible.

This idea of how Captain Jack Sparrow should behave was not something that Disney agreed with. But, because firing Depp would have made Disney "look bad" they went with his approach to the character and fortunately for the company, they did.

Fans Adore What Johnny Depp Has Done With His Character Choices

As Depp was explaining what his process was to come up with Captain Jack Sparrow as well as other characters, Ricky Gervais appeared to be holding his tongue as the two appeared together on the same episode of TheGraham Norton Show. Depp, in his cheeky manner, called Gervais out on it.

"You can feel it coming on, can't you?" Depp asked the audience.

"Don't pick on me," Gervais said laughing. "The audience are always going to be on your side."

This is a true statement based on the comments received from the YouTube clip of Depp on The Graham Norton Show.

"Johnny Depp is one of the greatest actors of our time!" one fan stated.

A second fan commented, "JD has always been one of my all-time favorite actors for the quirky characters he chooses to take on."

"'The audience is always going to be on your side.' D*** right we are," a third fan said.

Depp's ability to change from character to character seamlessly with each movie he acts in has labeled him the "chameleon" of Hollywood. It is this ability to bring new characters to the big screen versus playing another version of himself that makes audiences flock to his films.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGihqKCeo8ZusMSpp2abn6q5pbrTZpmepJmaw6Z51qGYrWWXp66prcxmpaiqpKS7br%2FAoptmmZKkwrV5x6KqZpuRp7Kmvo4%3D