Johnny Depp said he would destroy anyone who bullied his kids, if they didn’t do it first, during a press conference at the Toronto film festival.
The actor was promoting his new film Black Mass, where he stars as notorious Boston gangster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger. The film includes a scene where Bulger instructs his son to use violence on the playground in a covert manner.
“If somebody tried to bully my kid, if they didn’t destroy the little booger, I would” Depp said. He referred to the advice given in the film as “not at all strange”.
The actor also spoke about his attempt to engage with the real Whitey Bulger, who is currently in prison.
“First thing I did is contact Bulger’s lawyer Jake Carney to request the opportunity to meet the real Jimmy Bulger,” he said. “I wanted to hear his take. I didn’t know what I would get from it other than the chance to study him and sponge from him. But about a week after I made the request I received a message from Mr. Carney that said: Jimmy respectfully declines as he is not a great fan of the book [that the film is based on].”
The role is seen as a comeback of sorts for Depp, who has been in a string of critical and commercial flops from Dark Shadows to The Lone Ranger to Transcendence. Depp joked that Black Mass director Scott Cooper has “revived” his career.
“With every character that you play, as long as you’ve arrived at that place where you believe is the right place you need to be for the character,” he said. “If you feel that you’ve done service to the director, to your self, to the author then to me that’s a success. Box office is something else and it’s certainly not my business.”
Depp will next be seen in big budget Disney sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean and Alice in Wonderland.
