For those who think that “21 Jump Street” is nothing without Johnny Depp, there’s good news. The famous actor makes a lighthearted cameo in the new movie, returning to the franchise that launched him as an actor more than 20 years ago. (Warning: some spoilers ahead.)
Screenwriter Michael Bacall says that the first time he and star/co-writer Jonah Hill sat down to discuss the story, they brought up the idea of approaching Depp.
“Jonah reached out before we even had a script,” Bacall says. “I think we heard he might be willing to do it.”
He would, but on a couple of conditions: The first was that his character be killed off.
“He wanted closure,” Bacall says. “I had so much respect for that. It’s a brilliant idea that was absolutely not mine. It works fantastically.”
Depp’s other condition was that he be re-teamed with his sidekick from the original series, Peter DeLuise, who played officer Doug Penhall. DeLuise also shares the scene.
“It was really fun,” Depp told MTV. “It was a great experience.”
The question longtime “Jump Street” fans are probably asking is why would Depp want to reprise a character he was famously unhappy playing? He fought to get out of his contract and also resented the show for turning him into, in his words, “a novelty boy, a franchise boy.”
“I think the show holds a special place for [its actors],” says Chris Miller, co-director, “no matter how they might have felt about it at the time.”