Depp's Titbits

Johnny Depp has made an amazing transformation from being box office poison to major movie money-maker.

After 13 years of flop films, he has followed up recent smash hit Pirates of the Caribbean with another success - current US chart-topper Once Upon A Time in Mexico.

In honour of the eccentric actor's achievement, today's Hollywood Titbits is devoted to dish on Depp...

DAPPER DEPP

Johnny Depp came up with his own costumes for Once Upon a Time in Mexico after asking his Florida based sister to send him the tackiest tourist t-shirts she could find there.

As a result, his oddball CIA character wears t-shirts with slogans like "CIA - Cleavage Inspection Agency" and "I'm With Stupid."

Johnny said: "Florida has no shortage of idiotic t-shirts.

SNOOP DOGGY DEPP

A key gunfight scene in Once Upon a Time in Mexico was in danger of never being completed - until Johnny came to the rescue.

The problem was that a mangy white dog kept running into the shot and with the light fading, time was running out to shoot the scene.

So Depp grabbed a prop gun, went up to the dog, locked eyes with him and started barking loudly at the animal while waving the pistol in the air.

The dog immediately cleared off and the scene was finished.

Depp has received congratulatory calls on the box office success of Pirates of the Caribbean from the same movie executives who tried to get him fired during filming.

He said: "There were a couple of Disney exceutives who were very worried about my performance and asked 'Why is he acting like that? Is the character a complete homosexual?'

"I found their recent congratulatory calls deeply satisfying."

IN-DEPP-ENDANT MAN

Johnny tried everything to get himself fired from 80's TV series 21 Jump Street when he tired of his pretty boy policeman role.

He showed up on the set with rubber bands wrapped around his tongue and mumbled his dialogue unintelligibly.

When that didn't work he wore on a turban on his head and spoke in an exaggerated Indian accent.

It was only when he wore a George Washington style powdered wig and a pair of flares with the US flag embroidered on the crotch that he was released from his contract.

DEPP INDOORS

Johnny virtually never goes to see films. He doesn't even know the location of the nearest cinema to his home in France.

When he's not working, he prefers to spend his time wandering around his vegetable garden, reading, painting and relaxing with his family.

It's well known that Johnny based his Pirates performance on Keith Richards but according to Tim Burton, his earlier performances were also influenced by others.

The director said: "On Edward Scissorhands he based his performance on certain pets he'd had. For Ed Wood he used Ronald Reagan and on Sleepy Hollow it was a young Angela Lansbury - he wanted to make it the first action hero who acts like a 13-year-old girl."

Burton will next team with Depp when the actor plays Willy Wonka in his upcoming film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.