Johnny Depp Got His First Hollywood Break Courtesy Buddy Nicolas Cage! (Photo Credit: IMDb)
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Johnny Depp is nowadays mostly in the news because of the libel he lost and subsequently losing out on numerous projects. In the midst of all this negativity surrounding him, we decided to take you back in time today and tell you how he entered the world of films. While all know he was keen on making it big as a musician, it’s thanks to actor Nicolas Cage that he has become one of the top stars in Hollywood today.
We aren’t taking any credibility from Depp and his dedication to the craft, but did you know it was Cage who actually pushed him towards acting? Well, at a time when the Fantastic Beasts actor was still selling pens, Nicolas urged him to meet his agent, and now the rest is history. Read on to hear the Ghost Rider actor recount the entire incident.
During a conversation with the New York Times in 2019, Nicolas Cage revealed how he helped Johnny Depp get his start in Hollywood. Talking about how he first became friends with the Pirates of the Caribbean star, the National Treasure actor said, “The true story is that we were already friends. I was living in an old building in Hollywood called the Fontenoy, and I think I ultimately rented the apartment to Johnny, and he started living there.”
Adding that this was the time Johnny Depp was selling pens to make ends meet, Nicolas Cage stated, “But anyway, we were good friends, and we would play Monopoly, and he was winning a game, and I was watching him and I said, ‘Why don’t you just try acting?’” Cage added that Depp was hesitant at that time to take it up as he wanted to make it big as a musician and has said, “No, I can’t act” (Can you believe it!)
Continuing on how he helped Johnny get his Hollywood break, Nicolas said, “I said, ‘I think you can act.’ So I sent him to meet with my agent. She sent him out on his first audition, which was A Nightmare on Elm Street. (And) he got the part that day.” In that same conversation, Cage added that Depp was an overnight success, saying, “Overnight sensations don’t happen. But it happened with him.”
Thank you, Nicolas Cage, for motivating him to try his hand at acting, else we would have indeed never seen this gem. Over the course of his career, Johnny Depp has given us much loved characters like Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland and many, many more.
