Johnny Depp On Embracing His Craft As A Maverick
In an interview, Johnny Depp discusses his artistry and the launch of Dior Sauvage Eau Forte, the brand's first high-concentration, water-based men's fragrance.
Johnny Depp is certainly far from the conventional leading man: the iconically quirky on-screen roles, the rock musician persona (he was a guitarist before becoming an actor), the unexpected neo-expressionist portraits in 2022 (these paintings of cultural heroes ranging from Al Pacino to Elizabeth Taylor sold out in a day), and of course the title of being Dior’s long-standing poster boy for its wilderness-inspired flagship men’s perfume Sauvage for nine years and counting. It’s unsurprising that he continues as the face of Sauvage Eau Forte – reportedly the first high-concentration men’s scent with a water-based, alcohol-free formula that was launched recently. Here, he tells us more about it and his own craft as a maverick.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF SAUVAGE EAU FORTE?
“My first impression was that it felt like a slice of Sauvage, but hitting other notes scent-wise. (The main notes in Sauvage Eau Forte are lavender that has been saturated in water, liquorice, almonds, and musk, creating a fresh and luminous masculine scent). The smell made me think of very early morning – as the sun is about to rise – with the smell of a forest nearby. I thought it was special, and when I went through its various ingredients with Francis, I was blown away. I could see them come out one by one through the layers he put together, creating an emotion.”
DESCRIBE SAUVAGE EAU FORTE IN THREE WORDS.
“Fresh – like a feeling of mist from a waterfall. There’s something warm about it, too, in its layers of ingredients. And it’s so precise. It smells like a good day.”
THE UNIVERSE OF SAUVAGE IS ABOUT OPEN SPACES. EAU FORTE, IN PARTICULAR, IS A NOD TO THE WATERFALL THAT INCARNATES THE POWER OF WATER. WHAT IS THE MOST EXCITING PART OF THIS NEW JOURNEY FOR SAUVAGE?
“I think what’s amazing is the notion of creating a fragrance without the aid of a stronger base like alcohol. The fact that Francis Kurkdjian (Perfume Creation Director at Dior) had to approach it powered by water had to have been a real obstacle for a while. What he explained to me, though, was brilliant: that the water, as opposed to the alcohol, sticks around longer.” (To create Sauvage Eau Forte, Dior used a high-pressure nano-emulsion technique exclusive to the brand to develop an aqueous formula blended with a powerfully oily fragrant concentrate. This approach is said to help maintain the perfume’s top notes and, in turn, its freshness for longer.)
Sauvage Eau Forte is reportedly the first high-concentration men’s scent with a water-based, alcohol-free formula.
WHAT DO YOU THINK FRANCIS’ TAKE ON SAUVAGE HAS BROUGHT TO THE FRAGRANCE?
“Francis has an extensive palette to work with in his repertoire, and it’s really nice to hear that he is an artist. He truly approaches the work in a more artistic than a scientific way, though, of course, the science is very important. If there is one tiny little microscopic droplet too much, it changes the whole balance, and you’d have to start from scratch again, which is beautiful. It’s like looking at an empty page or an empty canvas every time. Francis says he doesn’t like to look at this as a challenge. Instead, he sees it as something he needs to figure out, which is great.”
HOW DO YOU SEE THE PROCESS OF CRAFTING A FRAGRANCE MIRRORING THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A CHARACTER FOR A ROLE?
“The beauty of creating a character for me is that I don’t know the result. I only try to stay focused on the journey; the result is a mystery. I’m sure Francis has something in his mind that he’s aiming for, which leads him to the next level in terms of ‘what am I going to try next’ or ‘what am I going to put with this’. It’s very similar to making music, painting or writing. A blank paper or canvas is one of the most intimidating things ever, and I hope it remains that way!”
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WHAT IS ESSENTIAL TO ACHIEVE A POWERFUL PERFORMANCE WHEN PLAYING A CHARACTER?
“Something has to grab you first. If I don’t feel intrigued by the first twenty pages when reading a screenplay, it’s over for me. When I’m reading, images and visions appear in my mind. I splatter ideas and notes onto the page and write them down. The most important thing is to decide whether there is something that I can add. Is there something I want to add, and is there an opportunity to explain yourself without explaining yourself? Take the character of Edward Scissorhands – when I read that screenplay, I bawled like a baby, and I was sure I was not going to get the gig. A month later, I got a call. The producer Denise Di Novi said, ‘Johnny, you’re Edward Scissorhands.’ That was the second step of my foundation as an actor – that material I wanted to do. With the process of acting, you approach things differently. You should have different things and places within you to access. That’s your toolbox.”
The actor, musician and artist Johnny Depp continues his role as the face of Dior’s Sauvage line of men’s fragrances, including its newest iteration, Sauvage Eau Forte.
YOU HAVE BEEN THE FACE OF SAUVAGE FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU, AND WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE CAMPAIGN?
“Normally I don’t watch myself, but I have watched the campaigns because you never know what Jean-Baptiste (Mondino, who’s directed the videos for Sauvage starring Depp) will do, which is a beautiful thing... He’s very elegant and is like Picasso. I adore him, and I’ve liked all the campaigns. There’s an incredible amount of trust, and that’s a thing that has to be earned. Sometimes, you’ll find yourself close to someone, and it just clicks – you’re in sync and know you can trust that person. It doesn’t happen daily, but I think Jean-Baptiste is a genius. I do.”
YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED THAT FRAGRANCE CAN HELP YOU GET INTO CHARACTER. DO YOU THINK IT IS THE SAME WITH MUSIC, WHICH YOU ALSO LOVE?
“Oh yeah. I’ve worn a receiver, a little antenna and an earpiece for years, creating my own portable radio station. When working on a movie, I’m also playing in my trailer the music that I feel might aid me on the journey. I’d choose a song, and if it takes four or five days to shoot a scene, I’d listen to that one song for four or five days on a loop because it helps me to stay in my world as well as help me to feel the essence of the character. Music is the quickest and simplest way to travel to our deepest emotions. If I hadn’t been an actor, I’d still be playing the guitar.”
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WHAT ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING FILM MODI – THE SECOND MOVIE YOU’VE DIRECTED – ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT?
“Here’s what was exciting: I didn’t have to be in it. I would not have cast myself in it, so I didn’t. What excited me was the source of the project. I was very moved because 20-something years ago, Al Pacino (who produced and stars in the film, which hits theatres in December) said he would direct this and it never came to fruition. Then, 20-something years later, I get a call from Al – he was the guy who called me up and had the idea of me directing it, and I still don’t know why.”
HOW IS PREPARING TO PLAY A CHARACTER DIFFERENT FROM PREPARING TO DIRECT A FILM?
“It’s very different on a couple of levels... If I’m playing a character in a film, I’m just acting. I have to worry about one character and define this one character. But I realised as I was writing that as a director – when you’re following your vision – you’re responsible for making a solid definition between each character. Also, trust is important between an actor and a director. The actor needs to know that if he jumps out of his skin for you, you will be there to catch them. And if you’ve got that trust, you can do whatever feels right.”
THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED FOR CLARITY AND BREVITY.
This article first appeared in the October 2024 Unusual Edition of FEMALE