Photo by nicogenin
Did you realise you probably know Johnny Depp’s films better than he does?
That’s if we can take this interview at face value, where he claims not to have seen his latest movie Public Enemies.
Incredulous, the interviewer asks him why not. Here’s Johnny’s answer:
I’ve always kind of tried to avoid them as much as possible… I just prefer the experience. I like the experience, I like the process, I like doing the work. But then, you know if I’ve got to see myself – I don’t like to see the thing become the product, I suppose. Once they say “You’re wrapped” on the film, it really is none of your business. The director is going to take that performance or whatever options you gave him and the editor, and they’re going to do with it what they want.
From the outside, this might sound hard to believe. After all, for anyone who has dreamt of being a film star, surely watching the end product of your labours, seeing yourself up there on the big screen, is central to the fantasy?
Not for Johnny.
According to him, the exciting part is doing the work, immersing himself in the character and putting everything into his performance. After that, the film is “none of his business” – it belongs to the director.
Johnny is interested in the process, not the product.
Those of us who are actively involved in creative work will know in our hearts what he’s talking about. The minute you take your eye off the ball, forget the work in front of you and start daydreaming about money, fame and other rewards, you’re risking mediocrity.
And as we saw in my e-book about motivation and creativity, there’s a lot of research evidence to back up Johnny’s position. Harvard Business School Professor Theresa Amabile has demonstrated through her research that intrinsic motivation is strongly linked to creative excellence:
People will be most creative when they feel motivated primarily the the interest, satisfaction, and challenge of the work itself – not by external pressures.
(Theresa Amabile, ‘How to Kill Creativity’, Harvard Business Review, September – October 1998)
Extrinsic motivations such as money, fame and critical acclaim constitute rewards for creative work. While it’s nice to enjoy these things after the fact, Amabile’s research shows that focusing on them too much is a creativity killer.
Does Johnny Take It Too Far?
Johnny’s solution to the problem of creative motivation is brutally simple – he focuses exclusively on intrinsic motivation, and does his best to ignore the external rewards. I’m sure he remembers to collect his pay cheque, but by avoiding watching the movie, he minimises his investment in his screen persona and the finished artefact.
Now, many people might say this is a bit extreme, and it wouldn’t do Johnny any harm to watch his films at the cinema, and have the DVDs on heavy rotation at home. But then many people haven’t achieved a fraction of what Johnny has, creatively. So it sounds like his approach works just fine for him.
You could also argue that Johnny is in the fortunate position of having someone else to worry about marketing and shipping the ‘product’. I’m sure there are plenty of people reading this who would love to be able to focus on their creative process all day long, and hand over the messy business of business to someone else.
But listening to Johnny’s interview, and watching mesmerising performances such as Joe Pistone in Donnie Brascoe and the debauched Earl of Rochester in The Libertine, it’s hard to escape the thought that his uncompromising attitude has been critical to his success.
While millions dream of being a famous actor, Johnny Depp concentrates on acting.
Is it a coincidence that he’s the one who made it?
What Do You Think?
What do you make of Johnny Depp’s claim that he avoids watching his own films?
When working on a creative project, do you find the potential rewards motivating or a distraction?
Do you think it’s a good idea for an artist to focus on the creative work, to the exclusion of everything else?
About the Author: Mark McGuinness is a poet and creative coach.
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« Previous 1 2 3 4 … 6 Next »You know what they say, "If it works, don't fix it." Whatever Johnny Depp does most definitely works, he's an actor in his own league - a league most only view from a distance.
Personally, I subscribe to a pretty similar philosophy. With some of my blogs and websites, I don't even look at the stats - especially when it comes to blogs where I write a great deal of heart-felt content. I want to write the same for one person that I would for 1,001. I don't want my vision to be clouded or swayed by numbers.
Great article - The Depp is pure genius. I think a lot of other actors would do well to follow his lead. Maybe then they'd stop posturing and simply lose themselves in their role the way Johnny does.
Depp's pursuit of substance over style is in sharp contrast to the latest wave of Hollywood stars and starlets. A love of the craft and obsessive desire to push his own boundaries are what led him to choose roles such as Gilbert Grape (What's Eating Gilbert Grape), Edward Scissorhands (Edward Scissorhands) and Raoul Duke (Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas). For every film he does to pay the bills (Pirates of the Caribbean, Nick of Time) there's a unique character to counteract (Finding Neverland, The Libertine, Ed Wood).
Nowadays we can clearly see what putting fame before process produces; Lindsay Lohan, Megan Fox, any of the reality TV shows following "famous people" (Hills, Kardashians, etc). The list goes on and on, littered with bubble heads who wouldn't know real emotions unless it was on a teleprompter or script note.
Thankfully there are a few examples in the newer batch that continue the pursuit of being actors as opposed to "stars". Anne Hathaway paid her dues doing Disney fare and used her newfound "fame" to seize challenging roles (Brokeback Mountain, Rachel Getting Married). Amy Adams could have easily gone the Tara Reid route after debuting as a promiscuous cheerleader in "Drop Dead Gorgeous", but instead fought through the trenches to earn opportunities such as Doubt, Charlie Wilson's War and Julie & Julia.
Quality comes from dedication to the process and the joy of creation. The lucky few who live this mantra astound us with their abilities. The vast majority that only see the end result beat us into submission with their mediocrity.
This is interesting, but it's worth noting that many high profile actors claim not to watch their films. Jessica Alba, Angelina Jolie, among others. It's often clear - and admitted - on late night talk shows that they haven't seen the movie they're promoting.
I suspect sometimes their interest in 'the creative process' is really an emotional inability to handle seeing a poor interpretation of their performance (or their poor performance itself).
I'm sure it's also more productive to invest yourself in creating a character and then walk away with the feeling that you nailed it. Ignorance is bliss.
First of all, I love Johnny Depp. I think he is one the rare actors in Hollywood that let's his work speak for itself. He is not intersted in being a movie star and playing the same roles over and over again. That is what makes him such a great actor. He looks for interesting parts and works with creative directors who know how to bring out his unique talents.
Perhaps that is why he can concentrate on the process of acting and do what he does best. Looking back on the movies once they are finished may cause his to over analyze his performances and second guess his choices. And as he said, the finished movie the creation of someone else. The Director and editors make those decisions.
@David-He improves by challenging himself to do different parts. Also, since he tends to work with great directors, like Tim Burton, I am sure they keep him on his toes.
@Gabriel Novo-excellant comment!
I agree with Maureen: wish I could have Depp's strength to go with his instincts and not care too much what everyone and their brother thinks.
Johnny's said that he's seen some of his movies and parts of others over time, but I can imagine it's very frustrating for actors: they give their all to play a part, only to have the final product be whatever the director, editor, studio decide. Daniel Day-Lewis has also said: "after my job is finished, what happens with the movie is none of my business." I wonder if that's what the directors and studios say to the actors? Tim Burton has said that when he & Johnny disagree about how a certain scene should be played, he films it Johnny's way and then Tim's way. It probably gets in the movie Tim's way, but at least Johnny feels happy that he had a chance to do it his way. :)
As far as watching himself for ideas to improve, there's plenty of places he can go to get criticism of his work - warranted or not.
Mark: Have you seen Dan Pink's Ted.com talk (author of "A Whole New Mind")? He talks about the subject of extrinsic v. instrinsic motivation, and how extrinsic motivation--such as bonuses--is great for repetitive, routine tasks, but it acually hurts creativity. The title of the talk is "Daniel Pink on the surprising science of motivation".
I can see how Johnny wouldn't want to become obsessed with how he looks on screen and watch his films ten, fifteen, or twenty times, but I think watching them once could help him see things in his acting he's not aware of, which would help him improve.
Although quite a revelation it doesn´t actually surprise me.
Johnny Depp always manages to bring a freshness to his roles which is probably due to the lack of self-consciousness resulting from "never" watching the films in which he stars.
Bravo Mr. Depp.
@ Sofia @ Marelisa - Thanks I haven't seen that video, looks really interesting. Looking forward to watching it...
@ Chris - Yep, you can't beat the Joy of Work. :-)
@ Joi - I wish I had your willpower re web stats. ;-)
@ Gabriel - Excellent summary, reminds me of Hugh MacLeod's 'Sex and Cash Theory': http://lateralaction.com/articles/hugh-macleod-sex-cash/
@ Ken - You can find a negative interpretation of any behaviour if you look hard enough.
@ Clarabela - You could be right that the director's feedback is crucial for Depp in improving his performance.
@ Maria - Thanks, excellent story about 'Johnny's way and Tim's way'. Reminds me of Brian Clough (legendary British football manager).
@ Countzeero - Bravo indeed!
i honestly doubt that creativity is the case with johnny depp .
depp is simply a genius when it comes to what he does . i honestly don't think that he ever struggled for a role . it just came to him . this is what made him famous ... it's just ... the character . there is no acting there .
i don't think you can compare depp with the realm of creating , with designers for instance . they do 2 very different things . depp is more on the side of an artist than that of a designer ( and yes , i don't think designers are artists ) .
b-grade actors such as jolie , tatum are more in the realm of designers . depp ... is simply an artist . much more than a mere actor .
there is flow and there is creation . flow simply comes ... creation needs to be called . and the ladder is not what depp does when he is acting .
as for his statement ... i'm pretty sure that he watches all of his movies . it would defeat the entire purpose of acting , creating , flowing . sure , you gotta love the process ... but at the end of the day ... are you telling me that you can paint without viewing your painting when it's finished ?
Hi Emil,
I'm afraid I'm a little sceptical about the idea of genius.
I'm telling you that's what Johnny Depp is telling us. ;-)