Johnny Depp interview: Jo Whiley show, Radio 1, 22nd April 2004

JD: hi how are you

Jo: Very good indeed thank you. Just played Oasis....they were mates of yours...are you still in contact?

JD: I haven’t spoken to Noel, in quite a while..no...we just er...lost contact with one another, but I’m still a huge fan.

Jo: They’re rumours they’ll be at Glastonbury...maybe you should try and get yourself a ticket?

JD: Yeah, I’ll try, maybe you could help me.

Jo: Well, I’ll be working there so I’ll see what I can do.

JD: Sneak me into your trunk.

Jo: I’ll try and do that it’ll be a pleasure. Secret Window comes out on the 30th. Can you describe the film on one sentence.

JD: Wow...one sentence?

Jo: Yeah, just the one please

JD: It’s a film about a reclusive writer who’s being accused of stealing someone else’s story and the guy stalks him and plagues him with weirdness and awfulness.

Jo: And it all ends in corn...

JD: [laughing] yeah...to some degree yeah…

Jo: what made you do the film?

JD: Yeah, I wasn’t so familiar with the Stephen King thing, you know the novella, but er...the screenplay really was the first thing that attracted me. I thought it was such a well written story, and er…had a lot of twists and turns that I didn’t expect, you know, so I was really impressed with the screen play.

Jo: You’ve been spending an awful lot of time in and around the UK for filming purposes, what’s been the favourite thing you’ve experienced so far?

JD: Oh man! Everything you know. We’ve been sort of on a tour of pratically of the UK and just going ...you know it’s been like a great big history lesson, you know, spending time at Blenheim Palace and Montacute House and shooting in all these amazing locations and er, wandering through the Tower of London, fascinating.

Jo: One thing I get from my listeners, there are sightings of you, day in day out, and they’re always reports that you’re really kind, and you kind of look after and you speak to all the fans. Is that kind of a policy or just good nature?

JD: Erm, there’s no reason to be otherwise really (laughs)

Jo: But sometimes it just gets to people and they just don’t want to speak to people, you know that are fans.

JD: No, no I think the kids who come around, the people who come around, I mean it’s so nice to meet them, I mean to all intents and purposes, they’re my boss aren’t they, they’re the people who keep me employed.

Jo: Exactly, decide whether you’ve got a job or not. So, do you get out to see any bands at all or buy any music? Which bands are you liking at the moment?

JD: Me, I haven’t been to any shows in so long.

Jo: British or American comedy, which is funnier?

JD: British.

Jo: Yeah, which ones have you encountered? You know the office?

JD: Yeah, the office is amazing. The Office is unbelievable, but you know I keep going back to the Fast Show, because for me it’s the top of the top, you know. It’s still the funniest thing out there.

Jo: There is talk of the Fast Show movie. Have they approached you to be in that?

JD: I’d do it in a second. I told Paul Whitehouse, I think the first time I met him, I told him, you HAVE to make a film of this, you know. I’d do it in a second.

Jo: Excellent. Little Britain aswell have you encountered that?

JD: No, actually somebody just gave it to me the other day.

Jo: Watch it the first chance, it’s really very funny.

Jo: What’s the weirdest thing a fan of yours has done?

JD: Oh yeah, someone got a tattoo one time, yeah, they got a tattoo of my head, my face on their arm. Which I thought was a little bit strange.

Jo: Absolutely. Any movie roles that you wish you hadn’t turned down?

JD: Erm, no.

Jo: No? There’s nothing, no regrets?

JD: No, no.

Jo: Good, that’s good.

JD: There should have been Bridget Jones

Jo: You should have been Bridget Jones?

JD: Yeah.

Jo: Would you have been willing to put on that much weight though?

JD: Yeah, that’d be good.

Jo: You’re doing CATCF aswell

JD: Yeah.

Jo: The big thing that everyone’s saying is it’s such great casting and you seem like perfection for that role. Does it feel like that for you aswell?

JD: well, I hope so you know, I mean for me it’s really exciting just to be able to go back to work with Tim again, you know it’ll be our 4th film together. The fact that’s it’s from a Roahl Dahl masterpiece, CATCF, the fact that it’s Willy Wonka. I’m very excited, but I mean you know, there’s certainly part of me that’s you know, it’s...it’s...they’re big shoes to fill.

Jo: Absolutely, yeah.

JD: So it’s a great challenge, but it’s a little bit daunting at times.

Jo: What other casting is there? Kelly Osbourne was obviously rumoured to be in it.

JD: Kelly Osbourne?

Jo: Yeah!

JD: I hadn’t heard any of that. I haven’t heard if anybody who has been cast yet.

Jo: Really?

JD: Yeah, not yet.

Jo: OK. All right, Johnny thank you very much indeed for talking to us today.

JD: Not at all, my pleasure, thank you.

Jo: And carry on enjoying the Isle of Man.

JD: Thank you see you at the Oasis gig.

Jo: Yeah I’ll get you there, side of stage, we’ll watch it there.

JD: Killer!

Jo: Cheers.

JD: Take care, see ya Jo.

Jo: Whiley was sooooooo excited about this and was really happy that he remembered her name at the end! What a nice man!