While Johnny Depp is one of the most successful actors in the Hollywood industry, he did not start his career in the entertainment industry with this intention. The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star originally did not wish to start as an actor, and the opportunity came to him at a time when he simply wanted to make some money. He originally had zero interest in acting. His only dream was to be a rock guitarist. Acting entered his life in 1984 purely as a practical side hustle to pay rent after his band fell apart in Los Angeles. Read ahead to learn more about his journey towards becoming one of the most beloved icons in the industry.
Johnny Depp started his career wanting to be a guitarist
In 1979, Depp dropped out of Miramar High School in Florida at age 16 to pursue rock music full-time. He did try to return two weeks later; his principal famously told him to follow his musical dream. Following this, according to The New York Times, for the next three years he played the lead guitar in the Florida garage band. The Kids, opening for acts like Iggy Pop and the Talking Heads, though earning barely enough to survive.In 1983, he relocated to Los Angeles with his band, which had been renamed Six Gun Method at the time, hoping to sign a major record deal. Instead, the band broke up before they could land a contract. For a year, he worked dead-end jobs to make ends meet since he was unable to make it as a musician. This was also around the time that he married makeup artist Lori Anne Allison.
How Nicolas Cage inspired him to become an actor
It was Nicolas Cage who inspired him to become an actor. In May this year, while in conversation with Variety, Cage opened up about how he urged Depp to pursue an acting career. He shared, “We were dating the same girl, and he came to L.A. not wanting to like me. He was a guitar player. I liked him right away, and he said, ‘I like Nic… I can’t not like him.'”He provided more context and shared, “We became very good friends, and we were playing Monopoly one day. He was having a very hard time financially—he was selling pens, I believe, and I let him live in my apartment, but then he started stealing my money to buy drinks—and I said, “Why don’t you just try acting?” The ‘Spider-Noir’ actor then revealed that he set up a meeting for Depp and his agent, and the rest is history.In an older interview with Heart FM, he shared, “I can’t really take credit for it. I was just one small step in his whole career, but that’s just how it happened. It was quite simple.”In 1984, he landed his first audition, which he aced, and scored his first ever role in ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street.’ Depp had shown up with zero formal acting training, wearing a ripped T-shirt and chain-smoking, merely accompanying a friend who was also auditioning. Wes Craven, who was creating the film, was initially uninterested in Depp and did not wish to hire him. However, when he showed the people who auditioned to his teenage daughter and her friends, they all called Depp “dreamy,” which made Wes hire him, and the rest is history.Johnny Depp took that first audition hoping to cover a few months of rent while waiting for his band to take off. Four decades and USD 10 billion at the box office later, his story remains one of Hollywood’s most inspiring stories of success.
