Here is my recent interview with John H. Richardson, writer-at-large for Esquire magazine. Mr. Richardson has a cover story about Johnny Depp in the May '04 issue of Esquire (US edition).

The questions asked were all contributed by loyal Johnny Depp Zone "members." It was actually quite easy to edit the long list of questions that flooded in, because the same ones kept coming up again and again and could be consolidated. It seems we do think alike!

Enjoy!
E Bronte
21 April 2004

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Q: What was JD like as an interview subject? Nervous? Guarded? Forthcoming? Chatty? Bored? Boring?

A: He was...not chatty, but seemed happy to talk. He seemed to like talking about the boring stuff -- kids, computers, Django Reinhart -- but also seemed happy enough to talk about the career stuff, although I noticed that he steered it in several directions, subtly -- one, mentioning the horror of the Jumpstreet-celebrity experience, and two, praising other people. He loves to praise other people. I wonder if some of this comes from his brother.

Q: You indicate that his "I don't give a damn" look appears to be carefully constructed. Did you get the same impression about his public persona -- that "Johnny Depp, self-deprecating, nice-guy celebrity" is another great character in his acting repertoire? Or do you think he revealed at least something of his real self in your interview? (By the way, I'm not suggesting or asking if he's a phony. Every celebrity is a product sold for public consumption. It's the nature of the beast.)

A: No, I don't think the nice-guy thing is constructed. It's intentional, but not constructed. He definitely seems to have a sense of decency and egalitarianism. This came through for me strongest when, at the photo shoot, I talked to his makeup artist. She's been with him since "Arizona Dream," and she wasn't any glamorous, fabulous person...a little socially awkward, a real person.

Q: What other celebrities have you interviewed and how does JD compare?

A: George Clooney, Keanu Reeves, Sean Connery, Angelina Jolie, lots of others...they're all different, obviously. Most of them seem like nice folks, most of them are pretty guarded (except Angelina!) Johnny's the most bohemian by a long shot, in the sense that he's into all those romantic beatnik artists. And lots of other artists and musicians. I guess I would say that his frame of cultural references was bigger and hipper than any actor I've met. He's not faking that at all -- really knows his stuff.

Q: Were you given any restrictions up front? Forbidden subjects?

A: No. Although his publicist emphasized that he doesn't live in France.

Q: Realizing that you're a guy and probably didn't spend a whole lot of time noticing, was Johnny physically what you expected based on what you'd seen of him in movies and photos? Taller? Shorter? As striking (beautiful) in person? Is his face as fine-boned and delicate in person as people have reported?

A: He's smaller than me (John Richardson is 6'.) A bit fine-boned, I suppose, but not dramatically so. He has a way of huddling down under his hat and his totems. But when the camera was on him, some of the times, he kind of beamed Johnny out. It was striking, like one of those magic powers in those hobbit movies.

Q: Was anything additional discussed that didn't make it into the article that you found interesting?

A: Yeah, of course. I liked talking about music with him, Django and swing and such. I liked his little ironic remarks. Lots of those. He knows the names of famous bookbinders. And he has a very sweet affect that's touching and pleasing.

Q: Were you pleased with the outcome/editing of the article?

A: Not really. Originally it was about twice as long and more ambitious, taking the form of a beatnik rant. Oh well.

Q: Did JD mention any books by name that he has read and admired?

A: Beatnik stuff, mostly. Other stuff I don't remember. I think he's read a lot of what hip English students read, minus the litcrit theory.

Q: When and where was the photo with the old bottles taken? And the other photos?

A: All in a house in the Hollywood Hills with a view that stretched a hundred miles over the bay. When Johnny walked in, he said, "Too bad about the view."

Q: The "scribble" drawing behind the title of the article -- did Johnny draw it?

A: I don't think so.

Q: Did some topics seem to excite Johnny more than others, or make him clam up?

A: He was pretty open. He was a little skittish about drug references, I suppose. And that France thing.

Q: And John, you may scoff at these two questions, but they are important to women -- what did he smell like, and what was his handshake like?

A: His handshake was firm but not obnoxiously so. I didn't notice any smell.

Q: People have said that upon meeting him, they had an instinctive feeling that he was "a little bit dangerous." Did you find that to be true?

A: No.

Q: And lastly, they want to know about your new book, "My Father the Spy" -- when will it be out, and is it a memoir, biography, or expose?

A: It's a biography with a bit of memoir, I guess. Supposed to be out next year, but I keep getting distracted!

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