Do you have an entertaining Johnny Depp tale? A great dream? An insightful movie/performance review? Hot news to interest fellow Johnny Depp fans? Then share it here, on the only Mindsay blog (that I know of, anyway), dedicated to Deppmania. Please note that posts here will be kept within the realm of intelligent, adult commentary…no silly swooning allowed. (In short, you must have something to actually SAY, something at least a little deeper than than, “He’s so hot! Oh, he’s so hot! Oh I just LOVE him!”)
If you would like to submit a post, email it to deppthinkers@yahoo.com. All contributions will be thoughtfully and generously considered and will be posted here, if deemed appropriate. You may make submissions anonymously if you wish, or if you’d rather be credited for the post with your Mindsay user name, please make note of it along with your submissions.
To start off the fun and games, I have a cute tale of my own to share, which sort of brings home the reality that good taste can be an inherited character trait.
I’ve often found it interesting to note the incredible diversity amongst Johnny Depp fans. In considering this, I was reminded of a funny incident a couple of years ago, involving my granddaughter.
She was 6 at the time, and she, her brother and I had settled down to a relaxing evening of movie watching with The Pirates of the Caribbean. It was her first time to see the movie.
The first shot of Captain Jack was where he is floating in to shore on his sinking vessel. As he stands to pay homage to his fallen comrades, seen hanging with a sign of warning to all other pirates, my granddaughter watches intently. Without moving her eyes from the screen, or even changing her expression, she asks very matter-of-factly, “Who’s that?” Her brother jumps in to eagerly inform her, “That’s Captain Jack, the pirate!” There is a moment’s pause as she continues to gaze at the screen with what appears to be very serious consideration, when once again, she comes out with a series of very matter-of-fact statements…”I LIKE him. He’s cute. I’d like to kiss him.” Then she turns to me with that same, matter-of-fact, serious expression and inquires of me, “Would YOU like to kiss him, granny?”
Yep, she’s my granddaughter alright.
loveUpon browsing some of the many Mindsay neighborhood blogs, I’ve noticed an abundance of folks talking about love and sex. They’re writing all sorts of romantic, gushy stuff about someone they’re with, someone they used to be with and wish they still were, someone they used to be with who left them yet nursing the open wounds of a broken relationship, someone they want to be with but can’t be for one reason or another, some mismatched couples, committed to the wrong folk and separated from the ones they love, etc., etc. The list of pining hearts and reasons for them is endless.
What I want to know is, whatever happened to good, old-fashioned, simple LUST. Why is everyone so caught up in this thing called ‘love?’ C’mon folks, how many old folks blogs do you read where some old fart is fantasizing about running his hands over his old partner’s sagging breasts? C’mon kids, there really is much more to this life besides sex. At least all the shriveled up old folks sure HOPE there is!
Ooops, but then there’s Johnny Depp…OK, forget I just said that…that was STUPID. It really IS all about sex isn’t it? OK, get outta here and leave me with my fantasies…go blog about your own…
During these past 4 months, while enveloped in this lust induced coma of deep spiritual contemplation, I’ve come to an enlightening discovery. I have found the answer to the creationism vs. evolution debate:
Johnny Depp is the MAN that God created “in His own image.” All other men evolved from apes. (WOMAN, of course, came from Johnny’s rib, not the ape’s.)
O-M-G. It’s confirmed. I am a hopeless case...spoiled forever to compare all men following, to the perfection of Johnny Depp. I’ve seen Johnny in interviews on the bonus features on some of his DVDs, but never in such a relaxed and natural setting as his interview on Bravo with James Lipton, ‘Inside The Actor’s Studio.’ (Read the transcript)
I am by no stretch of the imagination, a morning person. My ex-husband tried for years to arouse me in the morning, to no avail. Anything, anytime, but NOT in the morning. On the other hand, after a hectic night, I found myself wide awake the entire night, not able to fall asleep. Which was bad, because I’d planned to wake at 6 to record Johnny’s interview for viewing at a later, more reasonable hour of the day. (No, I still have not learned to ‘program’ the VCR). I planned to hit the record button and drop back into my early morning stupor.
Not to be. I awoke, hit the record button, and within seconds, was absolutely MESMERIZED by that heavenly, soft, gentle voice and those other-worldly deep, dark, eyes. I could not take my eyes off him for a second. As alluring as his characters are, NONE compare to the real-life Johnny. I literally fell head over heels in love all over again. If you think you love Johnny and have never seen him in a real-life interview...you simply MUST see one.
What immediately struck me about Johnny was, what I believe, is at the very root of his overwhelmingly attractiveness. Sure, his physical appearance is a great start, but his allurement goes so far beyond that. I’ve often wondered myself what is it that makes him so unbelievably magnetic? He draws fans like flies, from 6 to 60, male and female, heterosexual, homosexual and everything in between.
It was that quality that immediately struck me during the interview, as Johnny chatted candidly with James. He’s a living, breathing, walking paradox of human extremes. He’s an unusual and absolutely beautiful marriage of amazing polar opposites. He’s got a sort of rebellious, ‘in-your-face’ kind of ‘attitude,’ while at the same time, coming across as very shy and humble. As his history attests, he can be a raging bull when angered, yet also incredibly tender, compassionate and gentle. He can shave and cut his hair and polish himself into a squeaky clean character, or he can sport some scruffy facial hair, a long, disheveled doo, ragged, mismatched attire and unusual accessories (such as a dozen or so things hanging around his neck at one time) and look equally as hot as one or the other. He often finds himself at a loss for the right words to express himself, while at other times, perhaps has more to say than some may desire to hear. He can exude an incredible sense of male sexuality, and be equally as effectively effeminate. He can be warm and inviting and intimidating at the same time. He can be unnervingly deep and intense, and he can be outrageously hilarious. He can be blatantly open and transparent and completely distant and guarded at the same time. He harbors a history of many mistakes and embarrassments, but also successes. But what is inspiring is that he’s sort of like the Eveready bunny...he never quits...he just keeps going and going and going.
I think of all his qualities, it is his eyes that throw me the most...deep pools of black that seem to hint to many secrets and an intensity that knows no boundaries. One moment he is shyly hiding behind his often long hair and seems to be too timid to make eye contact, when in the very next moment, he will lock his gaze upon your eyes with such burning intensity that it seems his perception is piercing to the very soul itself. In fact, it seemed that the unexpected and overwhelming Depp eye-lock may even be another form of ‘hiding’ for Johnny -- it often appears in moments when it seems he may be unsure of what to say or how to respond, or at moments when a question may be getting too intimate for his comfort. The intensity of that distinctly ‘Depp’ eye-lock is so powerful, it seems to throw the other person off kilter just enough to give Johnny the advantage of the moment once again.
Some Johnny trivia revealed in the interview:
Favorite word: Why
Least favorite word: No
Favorite curse word: Shit
The one profession he would like to dabble in, other than acting, is writing (oh YES...we anxiously await that first book, Mort!)
Why, no, shit? Ahhhh, a man after my own heart, for sure.
/>Who is Johnny Depp? Why do so many who have seen his films become so outrageously addicted to him? Does coming to know the characters he has played give us a window into the man behind the characters?
I cannot say I’ve ever met or spoken personally with Johnny Depp, and it is highly unlikely that I ever will. All I can share is my own personal perception of who he seems to be, from my personal view -- a perception gleaned from his character roles and multitudes of interviews and eye-witness accounts of encounters with him. Ultimately, it is mostly hearsay on my part. But those who have followed his career will have already done the research by which to judge the information’s validity. And those who really don’t care, have probably already left this blog. And this collection of infrequent musings on Johnny Depp, is, after all, dedicated to Johnny Depp fans, and to the man we all love to love.
The following is a list of quotes from Johnny collected from various sources, that may give some insight into the depth of the man behind the bright star. Fans, enjoy. But then, whether read, experienced, or whether simply perceived by the soul...it’s not likely you’ll read anything you didn’t already know.
On fame and the subject of public perception of him:
"It’s a misunderstanding that I am a cool guy. I’m a little shy man who feels pain very easy."
"I’m shy, paranoid, whatever word you want to use. I hate fame. I’ve done everything I can to avoid it."
"As a teenager I was so insecure. I was the type of guy that never fitted in because he never dared to choose. I was convinced I had absolutely no talent at all. For nothing. And that thought took away all my ambition too."
"My self-image it still isn’t that alright. No matter how famous I am, no matter how many people go to see my movies, I still have the idea that I’m that pale no-hoper that I used to be. A pale no-hoper that happens to be a little lucky now. Tomorrow it’ll be all over, then I’ll have to go back to selling pens again."
"In some ways. I’m still uncomfortable with the attention because there’s still a deeper side of me which doesn’t feel I’ve really done anything so important to deserve this much attention. I feel I have a certain gift for mimicry and stepping into characters as an actor, but it’s not something I find very difficult. So it’s constantly amazing to me that there’s so much attention paid to what I do. It used to bother me in a negative way and made me angry. Now I’ve just accepted it as part of culture. It comes with the job. I’m not fighting windmills anymore. I sometimes wonder why it took me so long."
"I don’t want to get used to being famous and I don’t think I ever will - if it ever started to feel normal to me, then I’d know I’d become something I don’t want to be! But I do think I handle fame .better than I used to, mainly because these days I have a couple of kids to put everything into perspective, and show me the things in life that really matter and the things in life that don’t."
On acting:
"One of the most important gifts we have is imagination. It makes up 95 per cent of our minds, it’s our greatest asset, our best friend, and, in some cases, if we’re not careful, our worst enemy."
"With any part you play, there is a certain amount of yourself in it. There has to be, otherwise it’s just not acting. It’s lying."
"If there’s any message to my work, it is ultimately that it’s OK to be different, that it’s good to be different, that we should question ourselves before we pass judgment on someone who looks different, behaves different, talks different, is a different color."
Johnny’s done drugs. Johnny’s slept around. Johnny destroyed a hotel room. Johnny beat up paparazzi. Johnny has a horrible sense in fashion. Johnny inhales more hand-rolled cigarettes than he breathes oxygen. He’s almost daring us to find him disgusting. He wants us to disapprove. He wants us to turn our heads and leave him alone. But we won’t. Because we know. That’s Johnny Depp in there.
Why do we love Johnny? Aside from the chiseled and perfectly symmetrical features and mysterious deep brown eyes that seem capable of perfectly expressing the entire gammut of human passion, from fierce anger to the tenderest compassions and love...what can we say? The man possesses extraordinary talents, of which most fans believe the industry has only BEGUN to touch the surface of. Perhaps we see a bit of ourselves in Johnny and his many unique characters. We see someone who can suffer the shallow fickleness of fame, while remaining determined to just be ‘one of us.’
Once Johnny said in an interview : ‘Of all the characters I have ever played, Edward Scissorhands is the one I most relate to. Because of the feeling of wanting to touch something, but at the same time being afraid of breaking it !’ This says a lot about who the handsome actor really is : not the rebel James Dean of the ‘90s, not the crazy weirdo from his movies, but a kind guy who is afraid to hurt someone and to get hurt himself. Imagine that...Johnny really IS just one of ‘us.’
Special thanks to the following websites:
