The 60-year-old actor has had a long and successful career, starring in some of the biggest movies of the past few decades.
Johnny Depp, a renowned actor, and musician, made headlines recently when it was revealed that he had once seriously considered retiring from the film industry. Despite having a fruitful career and making countless achievements in Hollywood, Depp did not enter the acting business out of a strong love for the art. In reality, during his early years, music had always been his main focus.
During an interview with Jonesy’s Jukebox, Depp reminisced about his early days as a musician, stating, “I’ve been a musician since I was little. I have played since I was 12. I started playing clubs when I was like 13 in Miami.” But because of financial constraints, he was forced to consider acting as a way to support both himself and his musical ambitions.
Depp’s foray into acting was fortunate. “I needed to pay rent,” he explained. “Somebody said, ‘Why don’t you go meet an agent. My agent is with Nick Cage,’ so she sent me on an audition for something, and I got it.” Following his band’s breakup, Depp focused only on acting, a move that would later pay off financially and help in his rise to fame.
Depp eventually fell in love with acting and grew to respect the process of filmmaking. But there was one part of his job that he was finding increasingly tiresome: the post-production advertising and promotion. “The drag is all the hoopla that happens after. Like, when a film opens,” he remarked. “That’s the part I hate.”
Depp had moments when he thought about leaving the spotlight, despite his continued commitment to acting. In a 2013 interview with the BBC, he hinted at the possibility of retiring, albeit without specifying a concrete timeline, saying, “I wouldn’t say that I’m dropping out any second. But I would say it’s probably not too far away.”
Deep reflection on his profession and the nature of performing itself led to the idea of retiring. The famous actor considered the irony of having to read lines of speech that had already been written while having little opportunity to speak his own ideas.
“At a certain point, you start thinking, and when you add up the amount of dialogue that you say per year, for example, and you realize that you’ve said written words more than you’ve actually had a chance to say your own words, you start thinking of that as a kind of insane option for a human being,” he explained at that time. “So, are there quieter things that I wouldn’t mind doing? Yeah.”
In a separate interview with Rolling Stone, Depp described his idea of a life beyond Hollywood—just enjoying every moment. He yearned for a sense of normalcy, free from the constant need for secrecy and evading public attention.
“Really living life. And going somewhere where you don’t have to be on the run or sneak in through the kitchen or the underground labyrinth of the hotel. At a certain point, when you get old enough or get a few brain cells back, you realize that, on some level, you lived a life of a fugitive,” he emphasized.
While fans may have been surprised by Depp’s thoughts on retiring, it revealed his nuanced relationship with his work. The actor’s diverse skills and creative interests created a lasting impression on the entertainment business, but he has reached a point where he longs for a more peaceful, reflective life. Whether he will follow through on his promises to retire or if his passion for acting wins out can only be determined with time.