Althouse: "He has a photo of his late friend Hunter S Thompson and a doll of Donald Trump climbing into a cage with the American flag inside it — the 'horrible cage,' he explains of the US presidency."

June 23, 2025

"He has a photo of his late friend Hunter S Thompson and a doll of Donald Trump climbing into a cage with the American flag inside it — the 'horrible cage,' he explains of the US presidency."

"On the coffee table I spot a magnifying glass, a book on Jack the Ripper and an ashtray with 'Hello C***y' written on it. This rented house is where Depp had been living for months but he knows that he has to move. Somebody of his infamy simply cannot live near Carnaby Street without getting stuck indoors. 'I can be isolated and happier than a clam,' he explains. 'But I don’t get out much. I’m stuck with my thoughts; just thinking, writing or watching weird shit on YouTube. It can’t be healthy... But there is never any way to hide, and I just feel uncomfortable causing this weird form of attention I do, because I’m really shy.' How is that compatible with his career? 'Well, fame is the last thing I ever chased...'... Does he miss having the children about? 'Oh man, my kids growing up in the south of France in their youth?... I was Papa. I cannot tell you how much I loved being Papa.... Then, suddenly, Papa was out the window. I was Dad. But Papa was awesome and I’m getting old enough for Papa to possibly come back. Some motherf***er’s going to have to call me Papa!'"

From "Johnny Depp: ‘I was a crash test dummy for MeToo’/Over a rambling four-hour session with Jonathan Dean, the actor opens up about the Amber Heard trials, his painful childhood, 40 years of fame and the friends who turned their backs on him" (London Times)

43 comments:

Jupiter said...: "Hello C***y"?; 6/23/25, 10:59 AM
RideSpaceMountain said...: "I was a crash test dummy for MeToo"

It's ok Johnny. You're not along. This country is a crash-test dummy for a lot of psy-ops, most especially because psy-ops work so well here. I understand your feelings of victimhood.; 6/23/25, 11:04 AM
narciso said...: the Thunderer (Trollope) spits out garbage,

one almost feels sorry for him, then he loses me,; 6/23/25, 11:13 AM
PM said...: 'Well, fame is the last thing I ever chased.'
On a list of 1.; 6/23/25, 11:23 AM
rehajm said...: …the cleanest thing in that relationship was the poop in the bed…; 6/23/25, 11:28 AM
narciso said...: the innocent waif part about amber seemed improbable, but in Hollywood they will buy any shopwarn story,; 6/23/25, 11:36 AM
MadTownGuy said...: MeToo caused a lot of collateral damage, but its primary target escaped disaster, as witness the 2016 and 2024 elections. The verdict on the lawfare is not yet settled.; 6/23/25, 11:42 AM
Kate said...: Happy as a clam ...; 6/23/25, 12:06 PM
Tom T. said...: I'm happy to see him looking forward to being a grandparent.; 6/23/25, 12:15 PM
Big Mike said...: Behind a paywall.; 6/23/25, 1:06 PM
Darkisland said...: narciso said...

the Thunderer (Trollope) spits out garbage,

Trollope? As in Anthony Trollope? My favorite Victorian author. Currently "rereading" The Eustace Diamonds via Librivox.

I am not getting the reference.

John Henry; 6/23/25, 1:12 PM
narciso said...: thats what Trollope called the Times, how times have changed,; 6/23/25, 1:14 PM
narciso said...: There's a certain irony, I guess the Times has to virtue signal,
but if there was any president who would have the devil may care attitude of Thompson, it would be Trump, he didnt have to do this, unlike the shambling heap that was propped up for four years,; 6/23/25, 1:18 PM
Kai Akker said...: Like sands through the hourglass.....; 6/23/25, 1:21 PM
Aggie said...: "...The trial eventually started in April 2022, with Depp attempting to prove that Heard was actually the one who had violently abused him. ....So much, literally, dirty laundry aired in public and I never really understood why Depp brought these cases to court...."

'Attempting' to prove? This interviewer ain't much of a friend. The court case was not only against a psycho girlfriend, Texas style, but also against Wokeism. It's one of the few sane things Depp has ever done, and probably once of the first times he's taken good advice.

I feel a little sorry for him, but all of his angst is self-induced and consequential of his life choices. He's looking dissipated now, he's got that look of someone that abused chemicals so much, you now smell it coming out of their pores. Anyway, aside from Jack Sparrow, I've never found him to be compelling as an actor, particularly. I wonder what his guitar playing is like.; 6/23/25, 1:22 PM
narciso said...: he played a rather savage whitey bulger, not as nicely as nicolson, his 'research' on playing hunter thompson was a little too thorough,; 6/23/25, 1:26 PM
Quaestor said...: "Donny Brasco" is worth the effort. Otherwise, there's nothing, just one fantasy stereotype after another.

After Amber Heard, the worst misstep in Depp's career was getting involved with Tim Burton. Depp can act. There's no denying he's gifted. However, Burton films aren't vehicles for actors; they're puppet shows.; 6/23/25, 1:42 PM
boatbuilder said...: "Attempting to prove..."
I believe that Depp won the case. Which suggests that he met his burden of proof.; 6/23/25, 1:43 PM
narciso said...: oh I forgot his role in teh long ranger, along with the cannibal arnie hammer, (that made depp the nice guy); 6/23/25, 1:45 PM
gspencer said...: "an ashtray with 'Hello C***y' written on it"?

Cunty? Odd phrasing.; 6/23/25, 1:45 PM
narciso said...: he met heard on the adaptation of thompson's sort of roman a clef, as a young reporter in puerto Rico; 6/23/25, 1:46 PM
Eva Marie said...: “an ashtray with 'Hello C***y' written on it”
Is it a play on Hello Kitty except with the word cunt?; 6/23/25, 2:07 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Johnny Depp talks unscripted for fours and the headline is "he rambled". It signals the cancellation still on.

Just so we know who is "rambling":
Pirates of the Caribbean ranks as the 16th highest-grossing film series of all time.
The franchise has earned over $4.5 billion worldwide.
It holds the distinction of being the first film franchise to produce two films that grossed over $1 billion each ("Dead Man's Chest" and "On Stranger Tides").; 6/23/25, 2:14 PM
narciso said...: the series has grown on me, verbinski the director, forgot everything he had learned for the lone ranger, which was not mere cultural appropriation but stupidly done,; 6/23/25, 2:45 PM
Magilla Gorilla said...: Depp can act, and so can Leonardo DiCaprio. They were in a very good movie together, "What's Eatng Gilbert Grape." Two more examples of the fact that talent and wisdom vary independently. I was watching that movie at the theater during OJ Simpson's low-speed chase, and so missed the night of the white Bronco.; 6/23/25, 2:52 PM
Magilla Gorilla said...: Eating. Oops.; 6/23/25, 2:52 PM
Hassayamper said...: Why does anyone pay the slightest attention to the political blatherings of entertainment-industry idiots like this guy?

They are some of the most damaged, brittle, narcissistic, hypocritical, ill-educated people among us. They are surrounded by ass-kissing sycophants and sexual playthings, spend their days addled by drugs and booze, eagerly prostitute themselves and their principles for the next part or gig, and are mostly ill-educated morons who would be running the deep-fryer at McDonalds if they lacked their good looks or musical talent. Just worthless people all the way around.; 6/23/25, 3:00 PM
narciso said...: hes entertaining when he plays discount keith richards and some of these other roles,; 6/23/25, 3:03 PM
Iman said...: Depp was very good in “Dead Man”. He was not so good singing with Jeff Beck. IMHO, he should stay away from music and concentrate on acting.; 6/23/25, 3:12 PM
Danno said...: I saw the click-bait posting of a Youtube clip for a dialog between Depp and Bill Maher. I didn't watch but the picture of Depp showed him unkempt and a real mess. I like some of Maher's newfound common sense but I have no use for the rich and famous that think they speak for normal people, Depp included.; 6/23/25, 3:39 PM
Peachy said...: I never found Depp to be impressive actor. The pirate movies made him super wealthy - but I only watched one. zzzzzzz
He played a drunk. Nice work is you can get it.
Opinions of rich celebs = I really don't care, do you?; 6/23/25, 3:41 PM
traditionalguy said...: Love Depp’s personality. And there really is a similar talent to Bob Dylan.; 6/23/25, 3:42 PM
stunned said...: Anora; 6/23/25, 4:02 PM
john mosby said...: The Hello Cunty line is made by Bella Freud, Lucian's daughter and Sigmund's great-great.

So it's art.

RR,

JSM; 6/23/25, 4:09 PM
Whiskeybum said...: I enjoyed Depp in Finding Neverland and Chocolat; 6/23/25, 4:44 PM
Humperdink said...: “ Depp was to retain all his real estate assets and 42 vehicles”

Made me laugh. Depp needs to work on his climate change resume.; 6/23/25, 4:47 PM
Deep State Reformer said...: I agree with Peachy at 3:41. HST & Depp are really not all that insightful or transgressive tbh. Especially nowadays. Besides "Hells Angels" HST never wrote anything good or even coherent but instead wrote up his booze & dope binges on OP's tab. Read again today it's not all that much. Read Theodore H. White's "Making of the President" series for 1960-1972 elections if you want to know something about that time's presidential politics. No LSD or adrenochrome anecdotes either. I used to think Depp was on to something by making bank on the pirate role so he'd have to freedom of choice to choose roles where could shine which struck me as a smart move. Depp is a talented actor when he wants to be, but not an especially good man.; 6/23/25, 5:55 PM
Darkisland said...: Not 1 but 2 Puerto Rico connections!

The Pirates of the Caribbean ship was docked in front of my house at Marina Puerto del Rey for 3-4 months and a lot of the movie was filmed right around here on the old Naval Station.

And the HST movie was filmed in PR, some of it within a couple miles of my house.

John Henry; 6/23/25, 6:00 PM
Bill Peschel said...: "Besides "Hells Angels" HST never wrote anything good or even coherent"

His "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72" is an excellent bit of behind-the-scenes reportage on the McGovern campaign. He got in when they were still long-shots, and he explores the nuts and bolts of retail campaigning (I think one of the primaries was the Wisconsin that helped make him a front runner).

There was some weird bits about putting peyote in Muskie's water, and his hate-on for Nixon was being established, but apart from that it was a memorable read.

Not so much Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which I understand from his bio was mostly written before he visited the city.

Funny how much he wanted to be another Hemingway, but let his drugs and boozing kill a great talent for reportage.; 6/23/25, 7:26 PM
Narr said...: Depp was more convincing as a fantasy pirate than a dealer in rare books.

I'm not sure I've seen more of his movies than those two.; 6/23/25, 8:45 PM
Jim Gust said...: I know this is a minority opinion, but I enjoyed Edward Scissorshands. The premise is absurd, but once you accept that the movie is charming, and the music by Danny Elfman is splendid. Depp successfully pulled off a character that I doubt anyone else could have played.

Without Depp, Pirates would not have nearly the same success.

But the way he wasted his fortune is unbelievable.; 6/23/25, 9:26 PM
PM said...: "The pirate movies made him super wealthy...
He played a drunk."
He played Keith Richards.; 6/24/25, 1:44 PM
Lazarus said...: I like Johnny. It's a generational thing.

Somewhere there must be a "Call Me Papa" podcast. Maybe in France.

I just hope Johnny has enough money left to buy himself a new set of teeth and that men learn that marrying lesbians is usually a bad idea.; 6/25/25, 5:20 PM