- [Narrator] He is an
icon, a powerful actor, and the sex symbol of an era. Johnny Depp has been
one of the biggest stars in the world for
more than 30 years. He went from being
a TV sensation to an independent film star. His collaboration with Director
Tim Burton made him one of the most respected actors
of the 90s and 2000s. And with the "Pirates
of the Caribbean" saga, he became a
blockbuster movie star. But his life has often
been seen as chaotic and his wealth allowed
him to sink even deeper into his excessive lifestyle. Many rumors have been heard. Reckless, violent with
his ex-wife Amber Heard, addict, it has even been
said that he was broke and had spent his entire
$650 million fortune. What is going on
with Johnny Depp? Did he really face bankruptcy? What is this money
mess all about? Let's unveil Johnny
Depp's crazy life. (static crackling) (funky tune) (static crackling) Johnny Depp has never
really known a steady life. In his early years, he
was already on the road with his family and lived in
more than 20 different places to accommodate his father's job. When he was 12, his mother
Betty Sue gifted him a guitar. It was the beginning of
his passion for music. He immediately started
playing with various bands. He even dropped out
of high school at 16 to pursue a career
as a rock musician. He joined a garage
band called The Kids. The group became
successful enough to open for the Talking
Heads and The B-52's. Shortly after, he moved to LA, but he failed to
land a record deal. That's when he met his first
wife, Lori Anne Allison. A makeup artist
who introduced him to a young actor at
the time, Nicolas Cage. Depp and Cage became friends, and Cage advised him to
pursue an acting career. He divorced Allison
shortly after, but took on Cage's advice. And as early as 1984, he landed his first
minor roles in B movies. But his big break came in 1987, with the TV series,
"21 Jump Street." He became an instant sensation
and a popular teen idol. - Johnny Depp, was from
the very beginning, the ultimate bad boy. He was that guy in a leather
jacket, riding a motorcycle, he was soft-spoken
with his big eyes and he seemed very poetic. But at the drop of
a hat, could maybe, pick a fight with
someone in a bar. I don't know that his private
life was super tumultuous from the beginning, but it
was always an adventure. - [Narrator] But fame
didn't seem to be enough for Depp at the time. He couldn't stand
being a TV product, and left the show to
work only for cinema and roles he believed in. In 1990, he worked on his
first lead role in "Cry Baby." A film by Camp
Director, John Waters. - Sunday night on television, people think that they
know you, they put you in a category and they try
to make you stay there. But for me, it was
important to do, not what people expected. - [Narrator] But his first
smash success came that year, with "Edward Scissorhands." - When I read the script to
"Edward Scissorhands," I mean I, I though it was the best,
not even just script-wise, I thought it was one of the
best things I'd ever read, you know, so, 'course I woulda jumped
at the opportunity to play Edward. - [Narrator] This cult movie
was his first collaboration with Director Tim Burton,
with whom he would create a very fertile
artistic collaboration. They worked on seven
more movies together. "Ed Wood," "Sleepy Hallow," "Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory," "Corpse Bride," "Sweeny Todd," "Alice in Wonderland,"
and "Dark Shadow." In the early 90s, he was the
star everybody wanted to have. He was both a serious
actor and a sex symbol. And his love life became a
worldwide center of interest when he started dating
his "Edward Scissorhands" co-star, Winona Ryder. - We all just wanted
to be with Johnny Depp. We, I think to a degree,
we thought he was Edward Scissorhands
because the fact that him and Winona Ryder were
on that film together as love interests and then took
the romance into real life. And he tattooed her
name on his arm. Like, it was just, it was the most romantic
thing you can think of. - [Narrator] However,
they quickly broke up. And Depp started a very public
and destructive relationship with super model, Kate Moss. From 1994 to 1998. At the time, his lifestyle was already believed
to be hectic. And with his first
massive paychecks, came a taste for a
grandiose lifestyle. - As soon as Johnny Depp
started earning money, the first thing he bought
was a farm for his mother. After that, he bought a
Harley-Davidson from 1940. And in 1993, he
bought a nightclub, which he named The Viper Room. - [Narrator] A small rock
club which instantly became the hippest spot on
the Sunset Strip. But alcohol and drugs,
which were of course part of Depp's rock and roll
lifestyle at the time, led to a tragedy. (static crackling) His friend, the
actor, River Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix's older brother, died from an
overdose at the club. - It was no surprise
that there was a lot of drugs in the club. River Phoenix, on
the night he died, was given something
at The Viper Room, which caused him to overdose
and consequently, die. According to Johnny Depp
in a recent interview, he was blamed for giving the
substance to River Phoenix. There appears to be
no truth to that, there's no evidence that
that ever took place. But he feels bad about having
to live under the cloud of people thinking that he
was somehow responsible. - [Narrator] Depp also
dabbled with drugs and spiraled into
a deep depression. He was seen as the
bad boy of Hollywood, sexy, but dangerous, like
the rock stars he idolized. As early as 1989, he was
arrested in Vancouver for assaulting a security
guard after the police were called to end the loud
party at his hotel room. - He's famous for
trashing a hotel room at the time that he was
together with Kate Moss. Apparently, he was
hunting for an armadillo, but no one could ever find. - [Narrator] The charges
were dropped against him after he agreed to
pay $9,700 in damages. He also has a difficult lifelong relationship
with paparazzi. He was arrested again in 1999
for brawling with paparazzi outside a restaurant
while dining in London. - He got in trouble
with the paparazzi. Apparently, he threatened
one with a plank. - [Narrator] But none of his
antics tarnished his image. And didn't seem to have an
effect on his professional life. He was seen as a
passionate, young actor, excessive, but talented
and true to himself. - Johnny Depp is an
incredibly versatile actor. From "Cry Baby," to
"Edward Scissorhands," to "Ed Wood," to "Blow,"
to "Donnie Brasco." Like, there was nothing
this man couldn't do. And he earned an Oscar
nomination for it, several Golden Globes
nominations for it. He was that guy that you
just wanted in every movie. - [Narrator] After "Dead
Man" and "Donnie Brasco," Depp worked on "Fear and
Loathing in Las Vegas." This film, directed
by Terry Gilliam, allowed him to portray
one of his heroes, the Gonzo journalist,
Hunter Thompson. They became friends
and according to Depp, experienced a lot
of drugs together. - They were close to
the point that when Hunter Thompson
died, (chuckling) Johnny Depp shot his
ashes out of a cannon, as had been his
request, for $3 million. Which, he again, Depp
says, cost an actual five, but I think the average, I
think the price tag on that was around three million. - [Narrator] And he also
worked, around the same time, with legendary
actor, Marlon Brando. Another iconoclast
of American cinema, who greatly inspired Depp's
way of life out of any norm. - I found Marlon to
be incredibly generous very helpful. Really funny, one of
the funniest people I've ever met in my life. - [Narrator] The actor
starred in Depp's directorial debut, "The Brave." The movie was poorly received and Depp decided to focus
on his acting career. (static crackling) But his rock and roll years
were about to come to an end. After his breakup
with Kate Moss, Depp began a relationship with
French actress and singer, Vanessa Paradis, whom
he met while filming "The Ninth Gate"
in France in 1998. They very quickly
settled together in the South of France
and had children. Their daughter, Lily-Rose
Melody Depp, was born in 1999. And his son, John Jack
Christopher Depp III, was born in 2002. Depp stated that having
children has given him, real foundation, a real
strong place to stand in life, in work, in everything. You cannot plan the
kind of deep love that results in children. Fatherhood was not a
conscious decision, it was part of the
wonderful ride I was on. It was destiny, all the
math finally worked. - When he met Vanessa Paradis
and had children with her, it seemed like he had turned
a corner in his private life. He said he stopped drinking, they lived a very quiet life
together with the children. In interviews he said that he
had found the meaning of life. And all those things, all those
fights with the paparazzi, or the drunken brawls,
seemed to come to an end for those 14 years. - [Narrator] And during
this peaceful era, Depp climbed to a
new level of stardom. In 2003, he became Jack Sparrow
in the summer blockbuster, "Pirates of the Caribbean:
The Curse of the Black Pearl." - There are many pirates
in rock and roll, you know. But the one that I, I thought would fit the
bill was Keith Richards as a kind of the, the
basis for the character. So, then you start getting
into the abstract of Keith Richards and Pepe Le Pew, you know. (chuckling) And you, sort of,
amalgamize these two guys, you put them together. - [Narrator] Critics
and audiences alike acclaimed his performance. And it was at that point, the
biggest success of his career. And it even earned him an
Academy Award nomination. - So Johnny Depp had always
been considered A-list since he did "Edward
Scissorhands" in 1990. After that, he did very
critically acclaimed films that acquired him a lot of fame, but not to the degree that
he was a blockbuster actor. And then when he was
cast as Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the
Caribbean," that all changed. And he became, not just
an A-list critically
acclaimed actor in Indie films, but an actual, successful, viable,
like, money maker. - [Narrator] This role made him
more money than he ever had. And during the next 15 years, he would reprise this
role in four sequels. "Dead Man's Chest" in 2006. And "At World's
End" the next year. "On Stranger Tides" in 2011. And one last time in 2017, for "Dead Men Tell No Tales." Each time with pretty
impressive salaries. - Johnny Depp is one of
the highest paid actors of the moment. He gets from around
10 million per film, up till about 20
million per film, but also with backend deals
that give him a lot more income. So for example, for the
"Pirates of the Caribbean," he was paid 11 million for
his first and 20 million for every sequel, but on top
of that, he's probably made an additional 40 million
in backend deals. - [Narrator] He was a
bigger star than ever. And with his new fortune,
came new excentric spending. He became a real estate giant. - He lives in an
estate that he has. He initially bought a castle
and then he just accumulated the houses around
to build a compound. And the same thing in France,
in the South of France, where he basically
just owns a village. - [Narrator] And that's not all. Depp bought estates
all over the world. But maybe his most
spectacular purchase took place in the Bahamas. - Depp bought an
island in the Bahamas for a reported three
plus million dollars. Which was an idea that he
got from Marlon Brando, who had his own private island. And that seemed to
give him refuge. To get to said island,
you need a boat. So, Depp bought a
yacht for $8 million, which also need more than
$8 million of repairs, which is a cool 16 mil. - [Narrator] But
his involvement in the "Pirates of the
Caribbean" saga, didn't keep him from working
on interesting new projects. In 2007, he reunited
with Tim Burton for the musical, "Sweeny Todd." - I've worked with
Johnny several times. And, you know, the one thing, obviously this is
new, is him singing. And, you know, that was
(chuckling), as always, was a really great surprise. I mean, knowing he could do it, but then being real surprised
that he just, he sounds great. - [Narrator] The role earned
him a Golden Globe award. And in 2009, he worked
for the first time with Director Michael Mann,
portraying John Dillinger in the movie, "Public Enemies." (static crackling) But in 2012, his private life
would take a radical turn. He worked on the
movie, "The Rum Diary," and met actress, Amber Heard. That same year, Vanessa
Paradis and Depp announced their divorce after a
13-year-long relationship. Subsequently, Depp began
dating Amber Heard. The couple was publicly seen
together for the first time in 2012, not long after
Depp split with Paradis. The couple got engaged
on Christmas Eve in 2013 and tied the knot
in February 2015. It was the beginning of a controversial new
era for the actor. (static crackling) Before their marriage, Depp faced criticism
within his own family. His sister warned him this
marriage could be a bad idea. - His family and friends
cautioned him against getting married without a
prenup, but he wasn't listening. - [Narrator] Soon
after the beginning of his new relationship,
Depp had to face controversy for the first time in a
decade for his role in the Disney blockbuster,
"The Lone Ranger." The film was a box
office bomb that caused Walt Disney Studios to
take a $190 million loss. But even worse, were the
accusations made against Depp, who portrayed Tonto, a
Native American character. Many were shocked by
this casting choice and accused the studio and
the actor of whitewashing. It seemed like
something had changed in the actor's film choices. - It seemed like he had
a career shift where, initially, he was known
for making films like, "Blow," or "Ed Wood," or
movies that he felt were artistically important and not so important
for the paycheck. But then as his
spending increased and as his assets increased, it appeared that the
movies that he chose were more for the paycheck. (static crackling) - [Narrator] Around that time, the actor returned to
drinking and drug use. And he didn't hide from it,
he embraced the lifestyle he always envisioned
for himself. A rock star living like
there is no tomorrow. - When he separated
from Vanessa, he made a point of
saying in an interview that turning to alcohol would
probably be fatal for him. But now in recent years, as
we know, he has gone back to old habits and is
almost proud of the fact that he's dabbling in
drugs and alcohol again. - [Narrator] But this
exciting and crazy lifestyle quickly appeared
darker than it seemed. In May 2016, Heard
filed for divorce. And shortly afterward, she
also filed a restraining order, alleging that Depp had been
verbally and physically abusive. What happened exactly
is still blurry since the two
reached a settlement and signed a non-disclosure
agreement stating, our relationship was
intensely passionate and at time volatile,
but always bound by love. Neither party has made false
accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of
physical or emotional harm. - What they also decided was to not speak publicly
about their marriage. Now, yes, what happened between
them could have resulted in the same kind of
situation that a lot of men during the Me Too
movement suffered,
meaning loss of career, but I think, in this
situation, because the two, in a very strange way,
parted on amicable terms, it affected how they
both moved forward. (static crackling) - [Narrator] However, the
case was reopened after Heard pinned an article in
December 2018 that described her experiences with
domestic violence. In response, Depp filed a $50
million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife and
accused her of being violent and hitting him during
their relationship. - As a result, a lot
of the text messages, voice messages, and sound
files from their relationship are coming to the fore. So, whatever Johnny
Depp and Amber Heard wished to keep private,
as a result of this case, will probably be
public knowledge. - [Narrator] During the Me
Too era, those allegations could have cost Depp his career. However, the
difficulties establishing the truth of what happened and the support of the
industry helped Depp. - Another thing that
might've had an impact on why Johnny Depp
could bounce back from alleged domestic abuse, was
that all his former girlfriends and his ex-wives spoke out on
his behalf saying that they had never encountered
any violence from
him and said that he was one of the gentlest
people they'd ever met. And of course, we should believe two sides of every story, but I think that spoke
very much in his favor. - [Narrator] Some people
still criticize the fact that Depp was cast as the
villain in "Fantastic Beasts," the "Harry Potter" spinoff. But J.K. Rowling defended him. And Depp later commented on
the controversy by saying, "I'll be honest with you,
I felt bad for J.K. Rowling "having to field all
these various feelings "from people out there. "The fact remains I
was falsely accused. "J.K. has seen the evidence
and therefore knows "I was falsely
accused, and that's why "she has publicly supported me. "She would not stand up if
she didn't know the truth. "So that's really it." - We don't know what she knows,
we only know what's public. And it wasn't met
without criticism, but for her, it was enough,
and the films went on. - [Narrator] But his
career and private life were not even his biggest
concerns at the time. His financial situation
happened to be critical. What happened to his
colossal fortune? (static crackling) In 2016, Depp apparently
discovered money
was running short. His management company told
him that he had to sell parts of his estate empire
to be able to keep going with his way of life. Depp accused his
brother and sister for parts of this
financial mess. - As part of Johnny
Depp's spending, he bought the ranch
for his mother. And consequently, his siblings
moved in, so he hired them as caretakers of the ranch, they were his employees. And all of this
according, of course to, articles that have been written and Depp's interviews himself. What he claims is that
they were taking advantage of the situation, buying
handbags for his mother despite the fact that
she was bedridden. Or that once she had
passed, there was no reason to hang on to the ranch anymore. So he, maybe, had thought
that this was an agreement that would come to an end,
and it turns out it didn't. - [Narrator] But his family
was only a small part of the issue,
according to the actor. He cut ties with his
management company, owed by the Mandel brothers, and accused them of
improperly managing his money. He explained he discovered very
late his money difficulties and claimed the Mandel brothers
hid the truth from him. - Johnny Depp hired
a management team to take care of all his assets. And because of that, he
claimed that he wasn't actually aware of how much
money he had or didn't have, or that he was in
financial trouble at all, because he had people
to take care of that. Now of course, his management
team, the Mendel brothers, claimed that throughout
they discussed the fact that cashflow was dwindling, his
assets weren't doing well, and he actually had
to get rid of some. And he refused to and now
claims that he just had no idea. - [Narrator] Depp filed
a $25 million lawsuit against his former
business managers, claiming they mismanaged
$650 million of his earnings from the previous two decades. But his management
team countersued him for unpaid fees and for damages, alleging that Depp
was responsible for his own fiscal
mismanagement. - According to his
management team, Johnny Depp spent in excess
of $2 million per month. All of that included
staff that he had, whether it was security
for him or his family, or he would spend 200,000
a month on private jets because he doesn't
like to fly commercial. It was an exorbitant
amount of money that he didn't have to spend. - [Narrator] But his
former management team went into even more detail. They described Depp as an
irresponsible alcoholic, who couldn't control what
he spent for his addictions. - In the article
by Rolling Stone, the in-depth interview that was
made, done with Johnny Depp, they brought up the
fact that he spends, according to his management
team, $30,000 on wine per month. Which apparently,
is not an investment if you drink it immediately. He said that that was
insulting because in fact, he spends a lot more. - [Narrator] And at the
time, his money mess wasn't even his only
problem with the law. In 2018, it was reported
that Depp was being sued for allegedly hitting a
location manager on the set of his film, "City of Lies,"
about the murder of rapper, Notorious B.I.G. According to the suit,
the movie star grew irate when told that production
was finished for the day. At which point, he
twice forcefully punched the location manager
in the lower left side of his ribcage and
unleashed a verbal tirade until being dragged
away by his bodyguards. As a result, the movie was
pulled from distribution a month before it's
scheduled release date. - This seemed to go
away fairly quickly, so we don't know what
the real situation was, but certainly he was embroiled in a lot of legal
trouble at the time. - [Narrator] And that same year, Depp was on the other end
of yet another lawsuit with two former personal
security guards, suing him for unpaid
wages and their exposure to dangerous work conditions. According to his bodyguards,
they had to warn him he was in possession of
illegal substances anytime he was about to
enter a public space, which they felt was a
toxic work environment. Many friends defending
him, like Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, who describe
Depp as one of the kindest and most generous
people they ever met. But everything seemed to be
falling apart in his life. He was still working
despite being surrounded by controversies. And defending himself
in the press claiming, he never hurt anyone
and that his way of life was his own business. - Looking at it
from the outside, it seems like Johnny
Depp has finally just, kind of, accepted the chaos leaned into the fact that
he always wanted to be a rock star and now he's
living that kind of life, the hard drinking,
the hard drugs. He came to Hollywood
wanting to be a rock star and fate turned
him into an actor. Now, he's kinda
back to his roots, playing in Vampires of
Hollywood with Joe Perry and Alice Cooper and
living that life. And who knows where it leads. - [Narrator] In 2019 however, some of his problems
were solved. Even if his financial
situation still wasn't clear, one of his battles in
court came to an end. - In regards to the
lawsuit between Johnny Depp and his management team,
they settled out of court. Just a few, like, just a
few moments before they were about to head into court and
all of this would've been public knowledge, they
settled out of court, we don't know the details of it, but everyone seems
fairly satisfied. (static crackling) - [Narrator] But in 2020,
his battle with Amber Heard was still going strong. In the beginning of that year, an audio recording from
a 2015 therapy session involving the then
couple was leaked. Throughout the recording, Heard
and Depp can both be heard acknowledging their anger
issues before both agreeing to put an end to the
physical violence. It ends with Heard's
alleged confession to hitting Depp during
their relationship, creating even more confusion around the already
complicated case. - I don't think
Johnny Depp came out of these tumultuous years
completely unscathed. I think it definitely had
an impact on his career. However, I do think
he's plugging along, making at least one or
two movies every year, and if Hollywood loves anything,
it's a redemption story. So we'll just have to
see where this goes. (static crackling) - [Narrator] We might
never know the truth about his dynamic
relationship with Amber Heard. It seems like his life
was meant to be tumultuous and he embraces every bit of it. While defending himself from
accusations of violence, his image and legacy have
clearly been tarnished. But he is still loved
by many worldwide. He is still involved in
some of the most profitable franchises in cinema
history and great roles are certainly around the corner. One thing is sure,
Johnny Depp will never disappear from the news. (static crackling) (funky music)
