What’s the trouble with Johnny Depp?
It’s a question that fans and former fans have been asking for the past two years.
It’s also the intriguing title of a new Rolling Stone piece that purports to offer some answers.
Journalist David Rodrick spent three days — well, nights, as Depp keeps vampire hours — hanging out with the increasingly controversial actor, and it seems there was no topic that wasn’t up for discussion.
Depp’s massive debt and recent legal battles, his ugly divorce from Amber Heard, and his prodigious appetite for inebriants were all addressed in a wide-ranging conversation that helped to shed some light on Depp’s demons.
Is this Johnny showing the world his vulnerable side?
Or have we all just been taken in by a man who’s made a very nice living off his ability to manipulate the emotions of others by transforming himself?
Decide for yourself with this list of the most bonkers revelations from Johnny’s most candid interview to date.
One Mean Mom
(Getty) “My mom was maybe the meanest human being I have ever met in my life,” Depp tells Rodrick at one point, adding that his mother often struck her and hurled objects at them.
A Traumatic Childhood
(Getty) “There were irrational beatings,” says Depp. “Maybe it’s an ashtray coming your way. Maybe you’re gonna get clunked with the phone.”
A Complex Relationship
(Getty) “She could be a real bitch on wheels,” Depp says of his mother, before noting that his first major purchase after gaining fame was a house for the woman who raised him.
An Attempt to Deflect?
Many have interpreted Depp’s comments about his enduring love of his mother despite the abuse she inflicted as an effort to deflect allegations that he was abusive to his former wife, Amber Heard.
“Slim” to “Scum”
Depp signed a non-disclosure agreement that prohibits him from talking about Heard — but Rodrick notes that a tattoo on Johnny’s hand that used to feature Heard’s nickname, Slim, has been altered to read, “Scum.”
Speaking of Abused Women…
(Getty) Depp goes on to comment on the #MeToo movement and the accusations against “goliath Shrek thing” Harvey Weinstein. He’s no fan of Harvey, but his remarks aren’t exactly in perfect alignment with contemporary feminism, either.
A Cringey Comment
(Getty) “Have you seen his wife? It’s not a wide range,” Depp says of Weinstein’s choice of victims. “It’s not like he went, ‘I must go to the Poconos to find some hairy-backed bitch.’ ”
Taking the Edge Off
(Andreas Rentz/Getty Images) Before Depp can get down to any serious about his financial woes, some social lubricants need to be consumed. When he arrives at his London mansion, his personal chef presents him with “never-ending goblets” of wine and a “pile of hash.”
A Little Something Extra?
(Getty) Rodrick notes that Depp usually stays up past dawn. At one point during their first evening together, the actor “disappears for a few minutes and returns reanimated.” Hmmm…
A Thorny Issue
Depp’s friend and attorney David Waldman is also present for the discussion. Rodrick points out that Waldman’s name is at the very top of Business Insider’s list of “Americans who work for Putin.” Double hmm….
The Paranoia Runs Deep
(Getty) Waldman has been the guiding force in Depp’s lawsuit against his former management team. The two often speak in code language when discussing the case, assigning the principal players nicknames inspired by The Godfather.
Big Numbers
(YouTube) Depp is suing his former management team, TMG, for a whopping $25 million, alleging that the firm allowed him to spend himself to the brink of bankruptcy, all while skimming generously off the top.
Delusions of Grandeur?
(Getty) “No one challenges the monster of Hollywood and survives,” Waldman tells Rodrick. “Everyone is too afraid. Johnny’s not afraid.”
Why So Furious?
(Getty) Rodrick writes that “almost all” of Depp’s $650 million fortune is gone. Where did it go? Well, Depp alleges that much of it was stolen by TMG — but he also admits to some truly insane purchases.
Real Gonzo Sh-t
Asked about rumors that he spent $3 million to shoot the ashes of longtime friend Hunter S. Thompson into the sky, Depp remarks, “It was not $3 million to shoot Hunter into the f-cking sky. It was $5 million.”
Keeping Up
Depp also spent $7,000 on a couch, simply because it was previously owned by the Kardashians. The item was reportedly a present for his daughter.
Vintage Depp
(Getty) Asked about rumors he was spending $30,000 a month on wine, Depp balks again. “It was far more,” he says.
Lover of Ludes
(Getty) Of course, booze isn’t the only depressant Johnny partakes in. In one of the interview’s strangest passages, Depp waxes poetic about his love of Quaaludes, saying, “They’re made with just a little bit of arsenic, or strychnine … “You either wanted to smile and just be happy with your pals, or f-ck, or fight.”
As For Johnny’s Feelings on LSD and Osama Bin-Laden
(Getty) Yes, Depp believes hallucinogens should’ve been used to capture the terrorist. “You get a bunch of f-cking planes, big f-cking planes that spray sh-t, and you drop LSD 25,” he told Rolling Stone. “You saturate the f-cking place. Every single thing will walk out of their cave smiling, happy.” Sigh. Keep doing you, Johnny. Keep doing you.