Teen Beat, May 1989
Teen Beat, May 1989
A Day on the Set of Johnny Depp’s New Movie
(Baltimore, MD) Have you ever wondered what if would be like to spend a day on the set of a new movie? Would you like to spend an entire day with Johnny Depp? Of course! You’ve dreamed about these things. Well, TEEN BEAT recently spent a day with Johnny on the set of his new movie, Cry-Baby, and we knew you’d like an inside look.
6:00 pm There is a general buzz of excitement among the cast and crew as Johnny arrives on the Baltimore, Maryland set. He is the star of writer/director John Waters’ “1950s juvenile delinquent rock musical” and, from the moment he arrives on the set, it is obvious that Johnny is a true professional. It would generally take the film’s makeup crew about 30 minutes to grease and style Johnny’s hair for his role as Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker, the leader of a tough Baltimore street gang. Yet, today, Johnny has fixed his own hair before leaving the hotel where he lives during the filming. He is obviously getting into the part!
6:30 pm Johnny emerges from his private, air-conditioned trailer on the set. Nearby, the girls on the set giggle nervously as he walks by, giving them a smile. For today’s scenes, Johnny is wearing tight blue jeans, a white t-shirt, black leather motorcycle boots, and a black leather jacket. Fonzie never looked so good!
7:30 pm On the set for rehearsals. Johnny and the cast walk through the first of three scenes they will be shooting today. The other actors in this scene include Ricki Lake (from Hairspray), Traci Lords and punk rocker Iggy Pop, and, as they prepare to shoot the scene, the actors often refer to their scripts. But not Johnny. He has already memorized his lines before he arrived!
8:00 – 10:10 pm The first scene shows “Cry-Baby” and his friends at a dance, and takes over two hours to film even though the scene is only seven minutes long! The director and crew must get every shot just right, and they sometimes take as long as 20 minutes to set up a single shot. The highlight of the scene occurs at the end of one song, when everyone at the dance grabs their partner for a passionate kiss. While Johnny’s character is not featured in this part of the scene, we can tell you it is exciting and hilarious to watch. Some of the actors were really getting into it! They didn’t even mind when the director made them shoot the scene five times!
10:10 – 10:30 pm While the crew quickly sets up the second scene, most of the actors return to their private trailers. Not Johnny. He stays on the set. As you’ve probably heard, some stars demand the spotlight at all times, but Johnny isn’t like that.