10h 25min, jul 24, 2020 y - TELEGRAPH Johnny Depp scandals: From film flops to abuse allegations

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Johnny Depp scandals: From film flops to abuse allegations

As his private life is dragged through the courts, here's a comprehensive guide to the one-time heart-throb's recent decline

There was a time when Johnny Depp's name produced sighs and excitement, and guaranteed a hit with public and critics alike.

But over the last decade, the perception of Hollywood's former boy wonder has changed. Amid personal scandal, seemingly identikit movie roles and a very messy divorce from Amber Heard, Depp has become more of a Hollywood outcast than one of its most exciting stars.

This summer, as intimate personal revelations leak out during his defamation suit against The Sun, over allegations that he abused his ex-wife, we ask how Depp went from pin-up to pariah.

2010 – the beginning of the decline

Depp started the decade on a financial high note, with his turn as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland grossing a billion dollars worldwide – possibly in light of the IMAX success of Avatar several months before.

But Depp's career suddenly took a dodgy turn. Later that year, he appeared alongside Angelina Jolie in an endlessly-mocked thriller, The Tourist.

"Looking puffy and unassertive, Depp never has registered less effectively in his entire film career," said the Hollywood Reporter (with surprising snark).

Despite its reputation as a major flop, The Tourist still managed to turn a profit overseas, grossing $278 million on a budget of $100m. Nevertheless, its paltry US take signalled a sign of things to come for the star.

January 16, 2011 –​ The Tourist is mocked at the Golden Globes

Despite the critical failure of The Tourist, the film still somehow managed to receive three Golden Globe nominations. But eyebrows were raised at its nods for Best Picture: Comedy or Musical, and the acting nominations for Depp and Jolie: the film was promoted as a romantic thriller.

At the ceremony, host Ricky Gervais mocked the film's Golden Globes success.

"It was a big year for 3D movies. Toy Story, Despicable Me, Tron. It seemed like everything this year was three-dimensional. Except the characters in The Tourist," he joked.

"I already feel bad about that joke. I tell you what, I'm jumping on the bandwagon, because I haven't even seen The Tourist. Who has?

"But it must be good because it's nominated, so shut up, OK? And I'd like to crush this ridiculous rumour that the only reason The Tourist was nominated was so that the foreign press could hang out with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. That was not the only reason. They also accepted bribes."

Depp was glimpsed nervously smiling in the audience.

October 4, 2011 – photo shoots are 'like rape'

While promoting The Rum Diary, Depp also courted controversy for comparing photo shoots to rape in an interview with Vanity Fair.

"You just feel like you’re being raped somehow," he claimed. "Raped... It feels like a kind of weird – just weird, man."

He quickly released an apology.

“I am truly sorry for offending anyone in any way," he said. "I never meant to. It was a poor choice of words on my part in an effort to explain a feeling. I understand there is no comparison and I am very regretful. In an effort to correct my lack of judgment, please accept my heartfelt apology.”

May 11, 2012 – Dark Shadows flops

For his eighth and, as of 2017, final collaboration with Tim Burton, Depp sought to bring his childhood obsession to the big screen, encouraging Burton to direct a reboot of the classic Sixties horror soap.

But, in spite of the star pair, audiences chose to stay away. Along with a critical drubbing, the film earned just $245 million worldwide, from a budget of $150 million, with just $79 million of that coming from America.

The film's tanking lead the Los Angeles Times, like many other outlets, to ask: "Has America fallen out of love with Johnny Depp?"

June 19, 2012 – a marital split

Following a year of rumours about the state of Depp's long-term relationship with Vanessa Paradis, publicists for Depp confirmed that the pair had separated after 14 years.

May 3, 2013 – hello, Amber Heard

While rumours of a love affair had started up during shooting of The Rum Diary, it wasn't until 2013 that Depp went public with his romance with his co-star Amber Heard, who is 23 years his junior.

The pair were engaged by January 2014, and married in early 2015.

May 30, 2013 – goodbye, Black Mass

On the heels of multiple flops, Depp was in dire need of a indie do-over. But while he was long mooted to portray the real-life crime boss Whitey Bulger, Depp reportedly backed out of negotiations after demanding $23 million for the role – a steep paycheck for a small-scale independent film. Financiers Cross Creek and Exclusive Media both balked, having attempted to cut his salary down to $10 million, and moved to recast.

He would re-ignite talks in January 2014, when the movie landed at Warner Bros. Pictures.

July 3, 2013 – The Lone Ranger flops

A big-budget reboot of the classic radio serial, The Lone Ranger was designed as another potential franchise kickstarter for Depp, but Disney appeared to be harbouring doubts from the beginning.

Back in 2011, the studio had dropped the film from its schedule until the producers hacked its putative budget down, and they only agreed to greenlight the film when its costs had been shaved by $40 million.

But mere weeks before the film was due to start shooting, Depp reportedly requested a delay to deal with his "personal life". According to the Hollywood Reporter, this delay cost Disney $4 million on its own.

Even so, $4 million is nothing compared to the losses that The Lone Ranger ultimately brought upon the studio. Its budget was still a sky-high $215 million, yet it grossed just $260 million worldwide, immediately putting a stop to any franchise dreams.

In wake of its under-performance, a fifth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, Depp's signature series, was pushed from its 2015 release date. Producers insisted it was due to the script not yet being ready.

April 18, 2014 – Transcendence flops

Transcendence was initially pegged as a return to normality for Depp, with his character not buried under make-up or an elaborate costume. But the film was yet another expensive flop for the star, grossing just $10m in its opening weekend at the US box office, despite its $100 million budget.

The sci-fi thriller, which saw Depp get sucked into a computer, was the directorial debut of regular Christopher Nolan cinematographer Wally Pfister. But not even Nolan's reliable fanbase turned up, and worse still, Depp's performance was savaged by critics.

"Ordinarily a gifted actor who fully invests himself in diverse roles, Depp is uncharacteristically listless," wrote USA Today. "It's as if he realised too late that what he'd signed onto was hardly worth the effort.”

November 13, 2014 – a disastrous awards-show appearance

Depp appeared inebriated at the 2014 Hollywood Film Awards while presenting an award to his good friend, talent manager Shep Gordon.

Slurring his words, Depp said: “He’s someone I consider a great friend, somebody... uh, yeah, uh... incredibly, uh... loyal, loyal friend. Um. And so... you have to watch the film. Yeah, there you go."

He was then cut off by an abrupt roll of clips from the documentary Supermensch.

January 23, 2015 – Mortdecai flops

January 2015 saw the release of Mortdecai, an action-comedy that seemed to get much of its comedic mileage from the fact that Depp has a silly moustache throughout.

Co-star Gwyneth Paltrow also struggled to explain the film's actual premise, saying on US TV that Depp "plays this super-British aristocrat who's grown – his wife, who's played by me, goes away to visit a friend, and comes back, and he's grown this giant moustache.

"And they sort of – at the centre of the movie is this kind of fight about this moustache, but really, it's like, also an art-heist adventure, kind of romance. It's really fun!"

Mortdecai was immediately savaged upon release. The Telegraph's Robbie Collin called it "psychotically unfunny", and it entered the US box office at No 9, grossing just $47 million worldwide on a budget of $60 million – becoming Depp's fifth major flop in a row.

The film's Twitter account also came under fire at the time, both for a misogynist tweet glorifying the groping of Olivia Munn's breasts, and repeated attempts to crib off the popularity of other social-media trends, from the video for Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars's song Uptown Funk, to TV series like Downton Abbey and Parks and Recreation.

Depp was subsequently nominated for two Razzies for the film, and later skipped a promotional appearance for the project. He blamed a "Chupacabra attack".

March 10, 2015 – the Pirates are still delayed

After nearly two years of delays, Pirates of the Caribbean 5 finally began production in early 2015 in Australia. But weeks into filming, Depp was flown back to the US for emergency surgery after reportedly injuring his hand.

While the production delay was initially earmarked to last two weeks, shooting was subsequently delayed for an entire month, with half of the 400-strong crew forced to temporarily stand down to accommodate the delay.

May 14, 2015 – the Australian dog scandal

When Depp eventually returned to the Pirates set, he became embroiled in an enormous Australian scandal, with authorities threatening to execute his two dogs.

Depp and wife Amber Heard were accused of not reporting their Yorkshire Terriers Boo and Pistol to custom officials when they flew into the country on a private jet, violating strict agricultural laws. As a result, Depp could have faced 10 years in prison and a fine of $340,000.

Heard later accused agricultural minister Barnaby Joyce of launching an investigation into the couple as a publicity stunt.

"I have a feeling we’re going to avoid the land Down Under from now on, just as much as we can, thanks to certain politicians there," Heard said. "I don’t know, I guess everyone tries to go for their 15 minutes, including some government officials."

December 2015 – failed Oscar buzz

After settling on a sufficient salary, Depp's Whitey Bulger biopic Black Mass finally hit cinemas in late 2015 – with many industry figures suggesting it could be the performance to win Depp his first Oscar.

It didn't happen. Not that Depp was bothered, telling the BBC (via Vanity Fair) that he has no interest in winning one.

"I don't want to have to talk," he said. "The idea of winning means that you’re in competition with someone and I’m not in competition with anybody. They gave me one of those things, like a nomination, two or three times. A nomination is plenty."

Meanwhile, on the heels of multiple 2015 flops, Forbes Magazine named Depp the most overpaid actor of the year – working out that he earned $1 for every $1.20 in return at the box office.

April 18, 2016 – the Australian dog-scandal apology video

Despite her initial accusations that the country of Australia was using her for publicity, Amber Heard eventually pled guilty to bypassing quarantine laws by illegally bringing those dogs into the country. She was ultimately barred from causing any trouble in the country for a month, on a $1,000 "good behaviour bond".

But there was a curious addition to the deal: she and Depp had to record a video praising Australia and their legal system.

"Australia is free of many pests and diseases that are commonplace around the world," Heard said. "That is why Australia has to have such strong biosecurity laws."

"And Australians are just as unique – both warm and direct,” Depp interjects. "When you disrespect Australian law, they will tell you firmly."

The video was widely mocked across social media, particularly for Depp's laid-back appearance and entirely monosyllabic reading.

May 25, 2016 – Heard files for divorce

A month after their embarrassing Australia video, Amber Heard filed for divorce from Depp, claiming that he had verbally and physically abused her throughout their union.

“During the entirety of our relationship, Johnny has been verbally and physically abusive to me," she wrote in a restraining-order request soon after.

“I endured excessive emotional, verbal, and physical abuse from Johnny, which has included angry, hostile, humiliating and threatening assaults to me whenever I questioned his authority or disagreed with him." Depp denied the allegations.

May 27, 2016 – Alice Through the Looking Glass flops

On the same weekend that Heard filed for a restraining order, Depp's fairytale sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass opened worldwide – and grossed a mere fraction of its $1 billion predecessor.

Grossing just $299 million, it marked another expensive flop for the star. But the most alarming takeaway from the film was, yet again, how little of its total gross came from US audiences. In Depp's homeland, audiences snubbed the film to the tune of just $77 million, a major step down from the $334 million that Alice in Wonderland grossed there in 2010.

The film's dismal response once again earned Depp the title of Hollywood's most overpaid actor, for the second year in a row, from Forbes Magazine.

January 13, 2017 – the divorce

While the Heard/Depp divorce played out across news headlines, Heard would go on to accuse her ex and his team of planting malicious stories about her in the tabloids.

The couple's divorce was ultimately settled in January 2017, after Heard accused Depp of intentionally prolonging their legal feud in order to punish her.

In their settlement, Heard walked away with custody of their infamous dogs from the Australia snafu, along with $7 million, which Heard said she would donate to American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.

In a statement, the couple said: "Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gains. There was never an intent of physical or emotional harm.”

May 1, 2017 – deepening financial woes

With a divorce bill to pay for, along with maintenance for his ex and their children, and a run of high-profile flops, Depp was in poor financial straits. But a lawsuit Depp filed against his former management team, claiming they defrauded him out of millions of dollars, only opened the floodgates to a litany of embarrassing stories about Depp's spending habits and personal woes.

A countersuit from Depp's former management claimed that the actor spent $2 million a month, including $30,000 on wine, a private staff, and flashy spending sprees on art, islands, yachts and trinkets.

May 10, 2017 – rock-bottom on the Pirates 5 set

A Hollywood Reporter expose also claimed that Depp had hit rock bottom on the set of the final Pirates of the Caribbean film, alleging that excessive drinking, perpetual lateness and fights with Heard resulted in a chaotic set that ended up costing Disney millions of dollars in unexpected fees.

Along with reports that Depp required an earpiece on set as he refused to learn his lines, the crew was forced to develop a system to combat Depp's eagerness to hit the snooze button instead of showing up on set.

"When he got up, he'd turn on the light, and the moment the light went on they'd call the line producer, who would then call the directors," claimed a source.

"They even had a special code term, like 'The Eagle Has Landed.' Johnny had no idea this was going on."

Depp later admitted that he does wear an earpiece on set, but rather than being used to feed him lines, as a his management's lawsuit alleged, he actually has sound effects pumped into it, such as "bagpipes, a baby crying and bombs going off," to enable him to act with just his eyes.

The film's producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, said much of the reports around Johnny's behaviour wasn't true, and that the actor was under intense media scrutiny at the time. "There was so much stuff made up about him: that Johnny had a fight on set and had gone back to the States, which we both read about while we were in his trailer," he said.

Production chief Scott Bailey defended the actor too, saying: "No one should underestimate Johnny's passion and commitment to this character and franchise."

May 21, 2017 – no female bad guys for Johnny

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