The Life-Changing Advice Marlon Brando Gave Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp opened up about his time working with the legendary Marlon Brando during a 2016 appearance at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. He reflected on the 1994 film Don Juan DeMarco, where he played the eccentric lead opposite Brando’s more grounded doctor character.

Talking to the audience, Depp joked about their dynamic. “Well, first of all, I really love the idea of playing opposite Marlon Brando and being the crazy one. How many times has that job come around?” he said.

When reminded that Brando essentially played the straight man, Depp laughed and added, “Pretty much. I owned him.” Depp also shared how Brando’s charm extended off-camera, especially during downtime on set.

“He was charming when we were setting up shots and things like that. Suddenly, you’d see like 17 make-up chicks over there just listening to Marlon telling these amazing stories – probably lies… No,” he said, praising Brando as a fascinating mentor.

Depp credited Brando’s involvement in the film as pivotal. He had fought to cast the reclusive star as the doctor, a move production executives initially doubted. Depp recalled receiving an unexpected phone message that confirmed Brando’s participation.

“I’m nine months into a deep coma, and this is some weird s**t that you really would like to happen, but it’s not gonna happen,” he joked about his initial disbelief. Once filming began, Depp discovered a different side of Brando than the difficult legend often portrayed.

“No matter what he did, going to work, whatever, the most important thing on his mind was justice. Equality, justice, just justice,” Depp explained. Their connection grew over time, and Brando even offered guidance on pacing his work.

“He said, ‘No, that’s too much,’” Depp recalled, referring to Brando’s advice against doing too many films in a single year. “Because we only have so many faces in our pockets.” While Depp took the advice seriously, he joked about his own eccentricity, saying, “Unfortunately, because of my madness, I feel like there’s still a lot of faces in my pockets.”

At 62, Depp continues to embrace a busy career, currently filming the supernatural thriller Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol directed by Ti West and starring Andrea Riseborough. He also recently completed the action drama Day Drinker alongside Penélope Cruz. Between these projects, Depp continues to prove that his creative energy and range of characters are far from depleted.

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