Johnny Depp is on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, January 9, 2009 issue. See the cover and the first photos interview excerpts and video of the actor who portrays John Dillinger, the larger than life Great Depression Era bank robber, in the movie Public Enemies set for release July 1, 2009.
The movie is directed by Michael Mann (Heat, The Insider) and costars Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) as the federal agent Melvin Purvis who pursued Dillinger. It is based on the book Enemies by Bryan Burrough, which chronicles the early beginnings of the FBI and agent Melvin Purvis’ unrelenting pursuit of Dillinger which culminated in Dillinger’s death in a shootout in 1934 in front of the Biograph Theater in Chicago.
Depp revealed that his grandfather ran moonshine in Kentucky during Prohibition and this helped him identify with Dillinger in a humane, admiring way.
”Dillinger was one of those guys, like Charlie Chaplin and Evel Knievel, that I was fascinated with at a young age,” says Depp. ”And because of my grandfather, the character was pretty easy for me to connect to. In a way, this movie was a salute to him.” [...]
[T]he film’s themes couldn’t be more timely: Dillinger was sticking up banks at a time when people weren’t exactly rooting for the banks. As a result, he became something larger than life—a rock star with a tommy gun. ”Some people might disagree, but I think he was a real-life Robin Hood,” says Depp, who just finished playing the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, due 2010. ”I mean, the guy wasn’t completely altruistic, but he went out of his way not to kill anybody. He definitely gave a lot of that money away. I love the guy.”
Director Michael Mann shares Depp’s fascination with Dillinger’s mystique.
Mann shot on the actual locations where Dillinger and Purvis made headlines, because, he says, ”when your hand touches the same doorknob Dillinger’s did, it starts to talk to you.” The director even managed to get his hands on a still-preserved suitcase left behind by Dillinger after one of his narrow getaways. ”All of the dress shirts were still folded perfectly,” says Depp. ”It was a real insight into the guy. Because everything was ready to go at a moment’s notice. It was just economical and beautiful.”
Depp even got to wear the pair of pants that Dillinger had on when he was finally caught and riddled with bullets. ”It was amazing,” he says. ”And—get this—we’re the same size!”
Source: Entertainment Weekly Cover image source: Mark Pasetsky’s CoverAwards
The online EW.com magazine also has photos from 11 other forthcoming 2009 movies including Terminator Salvation.
Here is video of an interview with Johnny Depp from August 2008 when he performed live with his band The Kids at of the Sheila Witkin Memorial Reunion Concert at Club Cinema on August 29, 2008 in Pompano Beach, Florida.
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Johnny Depp ‘Public Enemies’ Entertainment Weekly Cover, Photos January 9, 2009
12:49 pm on July 6th, 2009 1
muito louvavel sendo que jony deep é descedente de indio igual eu,e está nessa carreira tão forte,e inbativel sinto muito orgulho dele pois ele com certeza já atingiu seu objetivo que é levar sua graciosidade para o mundo inteiro.Deus o abençoe,eo guarde todos os dias de sua vida.