If Tim Burton is the king of spooky, wacky, and all things gothic, Johnny Depp is the prince of that kingdom. When a new Burton film comes out, it's never a surprise to hear that Depp is the leading character. They've worked together on eight films, and have become one of the most famous Hollywood collaborators.
Depp and Burton don't just have chemistry on set, giving us pretty much all the gothic movies we love, like Edward Scissorhands and The Corpse Bride, which have inspired some interesting fan theories. Working together so much has helped them develop a decades-long relationship.
Depp is close to a lot of people, but one of his best friends is Burton. One can only imagine the things they talk about and do with each other when they're not making dark films together. They probably drink tea, listen to Alice Cooper, and talk about vampires, or congratulate themselves on being masters of dark cinema.
Here's what their relationship is like, past and present.
Burton Had To Fight To Cast Depp
Burton and Depp met in an L.A. coffee shop of all places, in the late '80s. Burton was just about ready to start casting for Edward Scissorhands, and upon setting eyes on Depp, knew he was the right choice for the titular role. At the time, Depp was starring in 21 Jump Street.
They apparently connected instantly over "a love of pop culture, old-time horror movies, resin grapes, and poo jokes."
"You don’t get that many times in your life where you just connect with somebody and it’s really simple . . . it’s just there," Burton told the Los Angeles Times. "You can’t look to the future, what’s going to happen, but he had an artistic integrity."
"From day one, we’ve talked about people like Lon Chaney," Burton continued. "He is Lon Chaney. And that’s what always got me into movies, that kind of actor, that kind of person, that’s the DNA and the energy of making films. We’ve always weirdly connected on things."
Since becoming an actor, Depp has always hated watch himself in his films and absolutely does not care what he looks like in them, so this made working with Burton very easy, and the director loved that about him.
"You’re not having to sit there and go through the angst of somebody looking at the monitor," Burton said. "I love the fact that he doesn’t like watching himself. . . . Keeps things moving, grooving, it’s great."
After that first time working together, though, Burton had a hard time casting Depp, because he was such an unknown actor. For Edward Scissorhands, they wanted Tom Cruise and for Sleepy Hallow, Brad Pitt. It wasn't until Pirates of the Caribbean that the studios actually started wanting him.
"Most of the times we’ve worked together he’s had to go into great big battles to get them to hire me," Depp said. "I feel so lucky to be along for the ride, more than a couple few times. For a lot of reasons. No. 1, Tim is a filmmaker I admire, but he’s much, much more than that. Without embarrassing him, he’s a true artist, which is something I wasn’t sure was possible in today’s cinema. But he’s the real thing. He’s a visionary, an auteur, totally uncompromising."
Depp also likes the way he's able to work with Burton. While Depp makes it simple for Burton to transform him into anyone without Depp really putting up a fuss, Depp enjoys the fact that Burton is welcome to a total collaboration and makes a safe environment for him on set.
"He provides an atmosphere that you can try anything," Depp explains. "It’s so liberating. . . which is the most important thing for an actor. To have that possibility where you might make an absolute ass of yourself and, you know what, if I fall flat on my face, there’s something to cushion that, there’s safety here."
When they get together to discuss a new project, Burton says he doesn't really know what happens. They pretty much end up bonding further over the fact that they are both outsiders and create new ways they can stay away from the mainstream.
Talking to MTV News, Burton said, "It's very nice to have someone that you can have a completely abstract conversation with and leave the room, feel like everything's fine, and then realize that if you pick it apart, you have absolutely no idea what either of you said."
Burton Was There For Depp During His Breakup With Winona Ryder And Later On With Amber Heard
Outside of working with one another, the pair have been there for each other when things get rough, and that includes helping during breakups.
If Burton is the king and Depp the prince of morbid films, Winona Ryder is the princess, and rightfully so because like Depp, she's worked with Burton a couple of times. After Depp started a relationship with the actress after co-starring in Edward Scissorhands, the pair quickly fell in love.
When they broke up, Burton was there for his friend but said that he'd never seen him like he was after splitting with Ryder.
"I felt so bad... I felt weird to be around him like he wasn’t acting like Johnny anymore… It’s almost like Winona took Johnny’s soul, Johnny’s love."
Fast forward to Depp's divorce from Amber Heard. According to The Sun (ironically), Depp was often seen visiting Burton at his home following his divorce. Apparently, Burton stepped in to "intervene" in Depp's life and gave him an intervention of sorts to prevent him from spiraling during the scandal.
Burton not only loves Depp enough to support him in his time of need, but he also loves the actor enough to ask Depp if he'd be his son Billy's godfather.
Depp was honored, just as much as he is to be in any of Burton's films. There will probably be at least a couple more movies where Burton uses Depp as his muse once again, and we can't wait for them. The day they stop making movies together will be darker than any of Burton's films.