From the quirky Captain Jack Sparrow in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ series to the mysterious Edward Scissorhands, Johnny Depp has wowed the audience with his performances in various roles. He’s got a massive fan following and a slew of accolades under his belt, making him one of Hollywood’s top actors.
In a previous interview, Depp expressed his admiration for one particular actor who he considers to be the greatest of all time – Marlon Brando, saying:
“Marlon Brando is maybe the greatest actor of the last two centuries. But his mind is much more important than the acting thing. The way that he looks at things, doesn’t judge things, the way that he assesses things. He’s as important as, uh… who’s important today? Jesus, not many people… Stephen Hawking!”
Considering another interview where Depp talked about the late actor, it’s evident that Brando’s impact on Johnny extends beyond just acting inspiration, as he revealed:
“[Marlon Brando] wanted me to escape movies for a while – ‘Take a year off. Go on. Study Shakespeare.’ So it’s one of the things that keep ricocheting around in my head. He told me that by the time he had got to the point where he felt he could do ‘Hamlet,’ it was too late. So he said, ‘Do it now, do it while you can.'”
Depp added:
“And I would like to do it – although it’s one of the more frightening ideas I’ve had. I think, as an actor, it is good to feel the fear of failing miserably. I think you should take that risk. Fear is a necessary ingredient in everything I do. But if I do ‘Hamlet,’ it will probably be in a small theater on a small stage, and it will have to be very, very soon because I’m getting a little long in the tooth for it.”
Brando and Depp came together in two film collaborations. ‘Don Juan DeMarco,’ released in 1994, follows Depp as John Arnold DeMarco, a man who believes himself to be Don Juan, the world’s greatest lover. Brando portrayed Dr. Jack Mickler, a psychiatrist treating DeMarco’s apparent delusion.
In 1997, the two actors again crossed paths for ‘The Brave.’ This film marked Depp’s directorial debut, as he also co-wrote the screenplay with his brother. Johnny plays the character Raphael, while Brando stars as McCarthy, a film director/producer.