Johnny Depp on "From Hell" and His Career

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Nov 30, 2001

There are a handful of actors in Hollywood who, despite having starred in dozens of successful films, are not classified as "movie stars." Sure, people know their names and acknowledge the fact that they can carry a film on their own, but when someone asks who the most successful stars are in the entertainment business, their names are usually forgotten. Johnny Depp is one of these actors.

Aside from blockbusters such as "Edward Scissorhands," Depp is legendary for his roles in cult favorites, such as "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Even after his latest project, the mainstream "From Hell," Depp acknowledges that he's better known for some of his little-seen roles. While this could bug some actors who strive to be the next $30 million star, Depp admits that his own decisions play a key part in why he isn't bunched with the Tom Cruises and Julia Roberts of our generation.

"It's not that I shy away from being a huge star; it's just that I've never seen myself in that role," Depp said. "I think that being a movie star would get in the way of being an actor. When I am in movies, I want to play characters. I think that is more interesting and more fun than being a movie star."

In "From Hell," Depp plays inspector Fred Abberline, a man whose addiction to opium enables him to see the future. Among his visions are the future victims of the serial killer known only as Jack the Ripper. While his character shares a few traits with one of his past roles Ichabod Crane in "Sleepy Hollow" Depp assures the public that despite what the trailers show, the characters are completely different.

"It's similar territory in a way, but from my point of view, the characters are so different that I think Abberline would have despised Ichabod Crane," he said.

Knowing that the public would link the two roles together, however, Depp's first priority was to discover who the real Fred Abberline really was. The actor admits that he wanted to play the character as a balding man, but the studio shut down the words before they even came out of his mouth.

While Depp was working hard to distinguish his character from roles he has played in the past, directors Allen and Albert Hughes were working hard to differentiate the movie from other Jack the Ripper tales that have made their way onto the big screen. The Hughes Brothers studied the other films based on the story but say that none of them really dove into the heart

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