Johnny Depp has never failed to showcase his incredible acting talent since his arrival in the entertainment industry. The actor took the world by storm with his skill to portray any character assigned to him. From a heartthrob in Cry Baby to playing the peculiar protagonist in Edward Scissorhands followed by the famous ‘Caption Jack Sparrow’ in the Pirates of The Caribbean franchise, he can do it all.
The actor’s natural ability to simply blend into a role without compromising the quality of his own flair has propelled his career in immaculate ways. While he does take on some meticulous or sometimes intense roles, the one role that fans remember to this day was the time he played former President Donald Trump. The actor once portrayed the eccentric former President in his early days in a parody.
The spoof was released by the entertainment company, ‘Funny and Die’, which is famous for its incredible productions of parodies of famous characters or films. In one such parody in the year 2016 titled The Art Of The Deal – a comedic spoof, Depp underwent a complete transformation. From the hair to the suit and skin prosthetics to match the former president, the actor morphed into an almost unrecognizable version of himself; understanding the assignment.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in the year 2016, the actor described his experience of portraying the former President of the United States and went on to call him a ‘Brat’ in the interview. At an event at Arizona State University, the actor talked about his inspiration for playing the character and how he wanted to portray Trump.
“It’s not just about being a rich kid or anything like that,” claimed Depp as he began to recall his thoughts. “I approached Donald Trump as what you kind of see in him when you really watch him,” said Depp elaborating on what he wanted the audience to see. The Tourist actor emphasized Trump’s character as a bully. He says, “There’s something created about him in the sense of bullydom”. He then labeled Trump as a ‘Brat’. “But what he is, I believe, is a brat,” claimed Depp about Trump.
The actor delivered a stunning performance of Trump in the parody stunning fans with his dedication to the role. Depp’s method of portraying a role is notable in the film industry and is something he is renowned for. The actor reportedly brought his own team of makeup and hair professionals to gear him up for the said role. The process of morphing into his character took anywhere between 2 to 4 hours to gear up, as the director of the parody film Jeremy Konner said.
Konner commented on Depp’s work ethic when prepping for a role and had some high praise for the actor. “He’s Depp. So when it comes to a role, he fully embodies it,” said Konner. He went on to compliment the different personas and tones that Depp brought out in his role of portraying Trump. There was a possibility that Murder Mystery actor Adam Sandler could’ve also played Trump’s role.
However, Konner mentioned that Sandler wouldn’t have been able to add a certain ‘dark tone’ as Depp did. In conclusion, the director described the various tones of Depp as a delightful ‘potpourri.’ “It was a potpourri of Depp,” concluded Konner.
References:
https://ew.com/article/2016/03/13/johnny-depp-donald-trump-brat/