1989 File photo of Johnny Depp & John Waters at the premiere of “Parenthood” in Los Angeles on July … [+]
WIREIMAGE
Director John Waters says Johnny Depp “hated” his teen idol phase while they were filming Cry-Baby.
The legendary writer-director recalled tales about Depp while speaking with IndieWire about the new 4K Ultra HD reissue of Cry-Baby, which will be released Friday.
Cry-Baby was released in 1990, just around the same time that Depp’s run on the hit Fox series 21 Jump Street was coming to an end. Depp starred as undercover police Officer Tom Hanson on 21 Jump Street for four seasons, from 1987 to 1990.
Even though Depp’s days were numbered on the series ,the teen idol hype surrounding his career didn’t die down on the set of Cry-Baby, Waters said.
Actor Johnny Depp rests his elbows on his knees and holds a handgun in character as Tom Hanson in 21 … [+]
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“Johnny Depp was at the height of his career on 21 Jump Street, he was on the cover of every teen magazine, he was Justin Bieber… and he hated it,” Waters told IndieWire. “So I always said to him, ‘Why do you hate it? That’s the point, to get so famous that you can never leave the house!’ And he couldn’t then. He could not go out.”
Waters told IndieWire that Depp was outside on the set of Cry-Baby, it was complete madness.
“When we were shooting the movie outside, hundreds of girls would be running and falling backward and crying,” Waters recalled for IndieWire. “They tried to buy his sewage underneath his trailer from the Teamsters!”
Waters noted that Depp eventually humored himself about the craziness going on around him and of course, the iconic actor’s career continued to rocket into the stratosphere after Cry-Baby when he starred in Tim Burton’s classic fantasy film Edward Scissorhands about seven months later.
Waters Says Depp Could Have Sang in ‘Cry-Baby’
Set in the 1950s, John Waters’ Cry-Baby stars Johnny Depp as the rebellious Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker. Since the film is a teen musical comedy, Depp’s character “sings” in the film, but the voice actually belongs to rockabilly musician James Intveld.
While it’s not unusual for an actor’s singing voice to be replaced by a real singer in a film—Rami Malek deferred to Freddie Mercury’s vocals for Bohemian Rhapsody, for example—Waters told IndieWire that “there was talk” of letting Johnny sing in Cry-Baby, but he ultimately Intveld was hired for the vocal chores.
“Johnny can sing. It’s just that we weren’t sure of that. And maybe I made the wrong decision there,” Waters told IndieWire. “But I didn’t as far as James Intveld, who I think is one of the … Well, he is Cry-Baby in real life! He still is, in a way. I think he’s an excellent, amazing singer. He sang in A Dirty Shame, he sang in Cry-Baby … So he was just absolutely amazing. Every time I’m with him, I can barely look at him, I’m so impressed.”
Cry-Baby also stars Ricki Lake, who originated the classic role of Tracey Turnblad in Waters’ original movie version of Hairspray in 1988.
Depp, of course, reprised his role of Tom Hanson in a sneaky cameo in the 2012 movie version of 21 Jump Street, starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. Most recently, starred in the French historical drama Jeanne du Barry.
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