The world’s greatest lover

The world’s greatest lover

Johnny Depp plays his latest eccentric character, the legendary
Don Juan, opposite non-waif Marlon Brando. He talks about his film
career, acting style and performing with the ‘brilliant child.’

By Michael Horowitz

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

You know you’re big time when your stipulation to do a film is
that you get to be opposite Marlon Brando.

That’s who Johnny Depp asked for when he got the script for Don
Jaun DeMarco. "When I read the screenplay, I just kept seeing him
as the character," says Depp. "I don’t exactly know why, I just had
this feeling."

A year later, that feeling has already paid off. The film, which
opens this Friday, allowed Depp a chance to work with one of
America’s most legendary performers. Here at the Four Seasons in
Beverly Hills, Depp, Hollywood’s reigning Don Juan, talks about his
experiences in his newest film in good spirits and with easy humor.
He makes requesting Brando and becoming fast friends with him seem
logical and methodical.

"When I read it," says Depp, "I knew a film like this had to be
done right. You can’t screw around."

"And I just kept seeing Marlon Brando."

How did his experiences measure up?

"It surpassed any thoughts or dreams I might’ve had," says Depp,
revertantly. "Obviously, we all know of Marlon Brando as a great
actor, probably one of the most important actors of the last
hundred, two hundred years. But it was great to see the things that
you hear or that you read that are not necessarily true, to see
those things disappear.

"It was great to see this legend was a real human being. And
incredibly intelligent with a fascinating mind and a heart so
generous. He’s probably the most generous actor I’ve ever worked
with."

Depp feels that due to the collaborative nature of the picture,
Brando’s stimulation was invaluable. From advice for specific
acting techniques to life lessons, Brando fed Depp energy and
intensity. "The idea that Marlon Brando is 70 years old," says
Depp, "I think that’s a lie. He’s about 20. He’s a kid. He’s a
child, but a brilliant child."

Don Juan director Jeremy Leven brags that his two male leads are
the "best actor in America" and the "best actor under 30". Depp
winces at being compared to Brando. "I couldn’t hope to live up to
him," he smiles. "I just appreciate the experience."

Don Juan DeMarco provides a different sort of challenge for
Depp, whose last few acting ventures have made him the straight man
in a world of chaos. Ed Wood, Gilbert Grape, and others have forced
him to carry the movie without standing in the limelight.

In New York last fall, Depp stressed that his performance in
Burton’s film was moderated so as not to grab the spotlight. "This
is not the popular way of doing things in Hollywood," he said,
"which is an ambitious, awful, competitive town. But the way I
approach a movie is (that) I don’t look at it as a popularity
contest or outdoing someone to steal all the attention. My approach
is that you have a responsibility to the story and the character,
so I just do my best to get the job done."

He had the same approach while filming Don Juan, yet this time
the film demanded a scene-stealing character. Depp, with a Latin
accent nearing Ricardo Montablan’s and simmering sexuality, easily
becomes his character, self-proclaimed the world’s greatest
lover.

The script for Don Juan came to Depp from writer Jeremy Leven,
an Ivy League professor who decided to direct his screenplay this
time around. "There wasn’t any trepidation with the idea that he
was a first-time director," says Depp, about the experience. "What
did scare me a bit was that he was a director who had written the
screenplay, I was a little scared he’d be married to the words.
Because sometimes the words can look great on the page, but when
they fly out in the air, it doesn’t work. So I was scared he was
going to be worried about saying the dialogue verbatim."

While some would argue no director could insist on dialogue
verbatim with an actor like Brando, Depp feels Leven adapted to the
collaboration quickly and easily because it was in the service of
the film. "I wouldn’t pretend that everything was peachy keen on
the film, because we certainly had our creative disputes," he says,
"but I have a lot of respect for a guy that comes in at 50 and
says, ‘hey, I want to direct a film.’ It takes a lot of
huevos!"

Depp will summon his own huevos to direct within the year, and
he will enter action mode for John Bahham’s Nick of Time with
Christopher Walken, a continuous time thriller where the hour and a
half film covers an hour and a half of excitement.

This may be his most mainstream film yet, but don’t tell that to
Depp. "I don’t like films that are written to be popular," he says.
"When the seed is just to make a movie that’s going to make a
zillion dollars, I couldn’t do that. And Ed Wood, let’s say that it
made a hundred million at the box office, then it would be
considered mainstream. The only reason it’s not considered
mainstream is that it didn’t make money."

Thus, he’s still very proud of the Oscar-winning film, which he
predicted at the time would be a hard sell to audiences still
flocking to Forrest Gump and The Mask.

"Transvestite film director, obsessed with angora, shot in black
and white," he smiles, "I knew they wouldn’t be running to see it
in Oklahoma City."

Yet as his stature increases, Depp is gaining a reputation for
quality films and eccentric characters. It’s something he works
hard to maintain.

"I was involved in a TV series for a few years that didn’t have
anything to do with acting," he says. "It was something I had to do
because I signed my name to a piece of paper. I had a
responsibility and I did it."

Depp takes a last long drag on his cigarette.

"As an actor I want to do things that haven’t been beaten in the
head about a thousand times. I want to be stimulated and I want to
stimulate people."

FILM: "Don Juan DeMarco" Free screening at Melnitz tonight, 7:30
p.m. For more info call (310) 825-2345.