Johnny Depp Hated Working With Benicio Del Toro: “What The F*ck Is He Doing?”

While Johnny Depp was locked in, playing Hunter S. Thompson’s wild alter ego, Raoul Duke, with laser focus, del Toro was off the rails, diving headfirst into his chaotic method of acting as Dr. Gonzo. And let’s just say Depp didn’t precisely vibe with that—especially when del Toro’s unpredictable antics started messing with the flow on set.

Director Terry Gilliam spilled the tea in a 2019 interview with Far Out, revealing just how much tension there was between his two leading men. “Johnny knew exactly what he was doing, but Benicio was almost completely out of control,” Gilliam recalled. And that “out of control” vibe? Yeah, it didn’t sit well with anyone on set. Gilliam shared that the crew was frequently on edge with del Toro’s free-wheeling approach. “The continuity girl was shouting, ‘What the f*ck is he doing?’” and the sound guy wasn’t having it either. Let’s just say Benicio wasn’t winning any popularity contests behind the scenes.

But while del Toro was going off the rails, Depp was all about precision. “Johnny is so clean, crazy, and down the line,” Gilliam said, contrasting Depp’s methodical performance with del Toro’s more unpredictable energy. The two styles weren’t just different; they clashed hard, especially during the film’s wild drug binge scenes. Depp even found himself frustrated by del Toro’s improvisational style, with his material often being cut because it didn’t match up to Benicio’s manic energy.