Johnny Depp has become more and more famous — or, arguably, infamous — as he’s become more and more indistinguishable from the characters he’s portrayed. It’s become nearly impossible to describe the actor without falling back on a term like “strange” or “weird.” If you hear a rumor or whisper about Depp, it’s hard to not consider the validity of it after the past few years of seeing headlines about the actor’s more eccentric choices.
The perfect example for this would be recent reports about Depp producing a play about Michael Jackson’s sequined glove being an alien that gave the singer talent in exchange for the blood of children. It sounds outrageous, sure, but there’s an undeniable back-of-the-mind whisper of that this might just be true. More than a few reliable outlets published the story and listed Depp as one of names attached to the legitimately real project, including the source of the claim, The Hollywood Reporter. The otherwise esteemed publication soon issued a correction, however, noting that neither Depp nor his production company were involved in the project.
His Vampire Passion Project, But Not The One You’re Thinking Of
First off, it’s interesting to note that Depp has multiple vampire-related passion projects. Dark Shadows, one of Depp’s many collaborations with Tim Burton, was an adaption of one of the actor’s favorite shows as a child. It’s a completely logical film adaptation of the ’60s television series. Depp’s band Hollywood Vampires, on the other hand, is totally out of left field.
Hollywood Vampires is a collaboration between Depp, Alice Cooper and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry. Funnily enough, the band got its first start on the set of Dark Shadows where Cooper and Depp toyed with the idea of working on music together.
They’ve performed with Matt Sorum of Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver, as well Duff McKagan and Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots. The band performed at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards with a tribute to Motorhead’s Lemmy, and they made their late-night television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this past summer. Gossip Cop even had to bust a 2018 rumor about Depp losing weight so he could fit into a more typical “rocker” role for the band.
Hollywood Vampires is a completely legitimate band that primarily does covers and the occasional tour. They’re also made up of rock legends and led by Captain Jack Sparrow. Don’t get us wrong, they work together extremely well, but we just can’t help but feel like this was a Mad Lib written by a classic rock fan with a love for Tim Burton movies that somehow came to life.
What’s Editing Gilbert Grape?
Hollywood Vampires isn’t the only collaboration with legendary musicians under Depp’s belt. In 2012, the established actor and singer added yet another hat to his collection when it was announced he’d co-edit folk icon Woody Guthrie’s 1947 novel, House of Earth. The novel was deeply influenced by the singer’s experience with the Dust Bowl and had gone unpublished until decades after his death.
Depp has succeeded on screen and stage, but who could expect a shift to the editor’s chair? The list of celebrity editors isn’t exactly impressive, but we’re still surprised to see the Rango star join the project in such a key role. Although reviews of the novel are mixed, Depp did receive his fair share of praise for his introduction to the book.
Serving Surrealism For A Limited Time Only
What do you get if you combine Depp, a repurposed firehouse, a surrealist photographer and artist, actors Sean Penn and John Malkovich, and British singer Mick Hucknall? A now-closed restaurant that banned men from exposing their calves and served tomato ice cream.
Man Ray, named after the American artist, was another entirely unexpected collaboration between Depp and other A-listers. The Chelsea restaurant/bar/club opened in late 2001 with a bevy of Hollywood investors. Unlike Depp’s musical efforts, however, his foray into the world of restauranteering didn’t quite pan out.
With an experimental menu that dabbled with trends and flavors and a bizarre dress code that allowed bikini tops and banned jeans, the restaurant seemed to be just a little too surreal to survive. It offered asparagus sushi rolls in an empty lobster tail, frogs under foamed broth and other dishes described as unidentifiable and occasionally tasty.
As an opening review noted, the restaurant would need to come up with a better offering once the allure of the celebrity investment wore off. It seems like that next step never came, as the restaurant closed its doors within a few years.
Of course, not all projects succeed. Depp’s had plenty of nondescript ventures that are thriving, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to look at the more bizarre investments he’s made. Gossip Cop is very familiar with the fascination surrounding some of Depp’s more unusual choices, but we’re more acquainted with busting the outrageous rumors about the actor. Last year, we debunked a “report” about Depp “boiling” his brain in a sauna, as well as plenty of rumors about the star dating nearly every A-list actress in Hollywood. We’ll continue to keep an eye out for any true stories about the odder side of Depp, but until then, we’ll keep busting the ones that are just too weird to be true.
Our Verdict
Gossip Cop has determined this story is accurate to the best of our ability.