LOS ANGELES — Johnny Depp has starred in more than 45 films in a career spanning almost three decades, playing everything from the fantastical creation “Edward Scissorhands,” to the eccentric Willy Wonka in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and, of course, the famed Captain Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise.
It may seem like Depp, 47, has already done it all, but there are a few boxes left to check before he turns away from Hollywood once and for all, FOXNews.com reported Monday.
“I’m going to have to play [King] Lear or [Don] Quixote or something. It would have to be something like that. And then just walk away,” Depp told Fox News while promoting his upcoming animated comedy “Rango.”
“But there’s still some stuff definitely that I’d like to do out there,” he continued. “There’s certain books that I’ve been in love with for years that I’d love to bring to life — things like Tom Robbins’ ‘Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates.’ That’s a great, great book. We’re in the works now to put ‘The Ginger Man’ by J.P. Donleavy up, get that on its feet, so that’s a very exciting possibility.”
However, for the time being the A-list actor is busy plugging the family-friendly “Rango,” in which he voices a chameleon aspiring to be a swashbuckling hero — although even he admitted that the filming process made him feel a little silly.
“It was fun, but you couldn’t help feel ridiculous. You know, you’re a middle aged man pretending like you’re dragging this tail around behind you,” Depp explained. “Or like [co-star] Harry Dean Stanton comes up to you and he’s like, ‘Hey man, this is kind of a weird gig, isn’t it?’ and you’re thinking, ‘Oh just wait, we just started, Harry.'”
But in the days before he entertained the kids as a lovable rebel in family friendly flicks like “Rango” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, Depp was a kid himself, playing pretty much the same character.
“When I was a kid, we would play cowboys and Indians, and I wanted to be the Indian,” he said. “I always did. The rebel – it’s built in.”