Why does Johnny Depp keep making Pirates films? ‘Pay me stupid money, I’m going to take it’
Why does Johnny Depp continue to make Pirates of the Caribbean movies? Is it for love of the character, or the desire to tell more stories in that world? Well … “Basically, if they’re going to pay me the stupid money right now, I’m going to take it,” Depp admits in the new issue of Vanity Fair. “I have to. I mean, it’s not for me. Do you know what I mean? At this point, it’s for my kids. It’s ridiculous, yeah, yeah. But ultimately is it for me? No. No. It’s for the kids.”
Depp is ever mum on the size of his Pirates ransom, but a report this summer cited his total take in the $300 million range, due to a gross-profit-sharing deal brokered with Disney. The four-film franchise has tallied $3.7 billion to date in worldwide receipts.
Nick Tosches, Depp friend of a decade and writer of this month’s cover profile, says he’s “the same old Johnny” who pumped gas to make ends meet and for a period attended Scientology study groups because they paid $3 per meeting. “I went to a bunch, man. It was so great, it was so fantastic,” Depp says.
Photo: the Vanity Fair spread, with photography by Terry Richardson
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
