Johnny Depp has dozens of iconic roles to his credit: the eccentric pirate Jack Sparrow, the mystical Sweeney Todd, the mysterious Edward with scissorhands... It seems that his name has always been associated with colorful characters who have left their mark on the history of cinema. However, the actor himself admits that he considers his best work to be very far from the "Black Pearl".
Depp got the role in 2005, when his longtime friend and frequent collaborator Tim Burton invited him to portray his childhood hero, Willy Wonka, on screen. The film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory became a real opportunity for the actor to touch the legend, because the role of the chocolatier was previously played by the iconic Gene Wilder.
"We were having dinner, and Tim said, 'I want to talk to you about this project. You know that story about Charlie and the factory? I'm going to make a film of it, and I'm thinking...' But I didn't let him finish. I just said, 'I'm in. No questions asked,'" Depp recalled.
For him, this was not just a job offer, but an opportunity to make a dream come true.
"Playing Willy Wonka is an honor in itself. But getting the role from Tim Burton is a double, triple honor. His vision is always amazing. If he offered to make 18 million meters of film of me just staring at a light bulb and not blinking for three months, I would do it."
In the film, which grossed nearly half a billion dollars at the box office, Depp played the simultaneously naive and terrifying Willy Wonka. And although the image caused controversy, for the actor himself, the role remained one of the most significant in his career — not because of fame or money, but because of the opportunity to touch the magic of his friend and mentor.
