Johnny Depp has spent decades treating Hollywood like an enormous costume party with an unlimited budget. Captain Jack Sparrow staggered through the Caribbean with glorious chaos, while Willy Wonka turned chocolate-making into an exercise in delightful eccentricity.
Now, the actor has traded pirate swagger and candy-colored madness for Victorian gloom in Ebenezer, transforming into Charles Dickens’ legendary Christmas-hating miser. Two young co-stars recently revealed the advice Depp offered them on set.
And apparently, taking the profession seriously comes with one rather hilarious contradiction.
Johnny Depp shares an unconventional acting lesson with Ebenezer’s young stars
At the London premiere of Ebenezer, real-life siblings Eva and Zac Wishart, who portray Martha and Peter Cratchit, spoke to Deadline about working with Johnny Depp. Their biggest takeaway sounded like something Captain Jack Sparrow might scribble onto a drama school’s noticeboard.
“He gave us really good advice. He said there’s no such thing as a serious actor because it’s an oxymoron,” the siblings revealed.
Apparently, Hollywood’s elaborate business of pretending to be somebody else comes with an amusing philosophical loophole. The observation reflects Depp’s long-standing approach to his craft. In a 2001 interview, he questioned the concept of a “serious actor,” pointing to the peculiar reality of earning a living through make-believe.
His performances have frequently embraced exaggeration, unusual physicality, and unapologetic eccentricity. The Victorian miser is apparently receiving some serious emotional detective work from a man who refuses to call himself a serious actor. Dickens would appreciate the irony.
And that philosophy is heading into theaters wrapped in supernatural nightmares and Christmas cheer.
Ebenezer brings Johnny Depp into a gothic Christmas nightmare
Arriving in theaters November 13, Paramount’s Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol revisits Dickens’ 1843 classic through a darker, fantastical lens. Johnny Depp transforms into Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy Victorian businessman whose hatred of festive generosity could probably extinguish Christmas lights across London.
His miserable existence takes a supernatural turn when Jacob Marley, portrayed by Ian McKellen, returns from the grave. The visit triggers encounters with the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, forcing Scrooge to confront his choices and possible fate.
Rupert Grint plays Bob Cratchit, Andrea Riseborough portrays the Ghost of Christmas Past, and Tramell Tillman plays the Ghost of Christmas Present. Daisy Ridley, Sam Claflin, and Arthur Conti also appear, with Conti portraying a young Scrooge. West, whose credits include Pearl and MaXXXine, brings his horror sensibilities to the familiar redemption tale.
Will Depp’s interpretation deliver a memorable new Scrooge? What do you think about his advice to the Wishart siblings? Let us know in the comments.
