Oprah Winfrey Show - Finding Neverland Special
November 2, 2004
HOST: Oprah Winfrey
FINDING NEVERLAND SPECIAL
JOHNNY DEPP AND KATE WINSLET
OPRAH WINFREY: Johnny Depp’s OPRAH show debut, the sexiest man alive.
Yes. Good to see you. Good to see you. Great. Good to see you. Whoo! Thank you. Thank you. Too much. Thank you. So I hope you go out and vote today, because I just did. I just did. Everybody has to vote today.
Now, OK, I know my next guest is not going to like this. He’s not going to like it. But whether he likes it or not, I’m going to hold it up. There you go: Sexiest Man Alive. I’m going to hold it up. Sexiest Man Alive. I don’t know, what would that feel like? I don’t know.
Now I haven’t seen him. I have not seen him at all. I have not seen him, because I don’t meet the gu–if I’ve never met a guest, and I like to meet them when you meet them so I can have the same drool factor that you do. But my producers have met him. And they just came in and went, `Oh, my God!’ And I said, `Really, what is it?’ and she went, `Oh, my God!’ So, OK, I can’t wait. Did you just see the movie, though, right? Isn’t it wonderful? It’s really wonderful. OK. And let me ask you this. Who cried? Did you cry? Oh, you all cried! You cried. I was–you know what? I said they are not going to get me. I tried so hard not to cry! And only till the last–I didn’t cry for the (mumbles), I didn’t cry when the (mumbles), even when the (mumbles). But then the last scene, I was like gone.
OK. Johnny Depp’s new movie, “Finding Neverland”–it’ll get you. It’ll get you. His performance is just superb, is it not? It really is superb. It’s no wonder why he’s called one of the most gifted actors of his generation. Let’s take a look.
( “21 Jump Street”)
OPRAH WINFREY: The year, 1987. Teen girls everywhere just lost their minds over a young Johnny Depp in “21 Jump Street.”
(Excerpts from “21 Jump Street,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street”)
OPRAH WINFREY: Fans screamed for his big-screen debut in the classic horror flick “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
(Excerpt from “A Nightmare on Elm Street”)
OPRAH WINFREY: Johnny shredded his pretty boy image in “Edward Scissorhands” and critics raved. His smoldering sex appeal cannot be denied. Who could forget his performance as a passionate Gypsy in the Oscar-nominated “Chocolat.” This year, Johnny swashbuckled his way through “Pirates of the Caribbean”…
(Excerpt from “Pirates of the Caribbean”)
OPRAH WINFREY: …and scored an Oscar nomination for best actor. He is a self-proclaimed Hollywood outsider, who lives with his beautiful girlfriend Vanessa Paradis and their two children, Jack and Lily-Rose. Though reluctant he may be, Johnny Depp has been named the Sexiest Man Alive.
Reluctant, sexy, Johnny Depp!
It’ll be fine.
Mr. DEPP: Uh-oh.
OPRAH WINFREY: Uh-oh. So, listen, they told me you like good wine. They told me you like good wine.
Mr. DEPP: Well, that’s the one.
OPRAH WINFREY: So I pulled up one of my bottles. This is for you. A toast to you, toast to you.
Mr. DEPP: Oh, we’re going to be drunk in a minute.
OPRAH WINFREY: No, we won’t. We’re not going to drink the whole thing. Here’s to your superb performance in “Finding Neverland.”
Mr. DEPP: Thank you. Thank you.
OPRAH WINFREY: Ooh, good.
Mr. DEPP: What do you mean we’re not going to drink the whole thing?
OPRAH WINFREY: That is pretty good, isn’t it?
Mr. DEPP: Don’t you think we should?
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah, well, the–we can.
Mr. DEPP: All right.
OPRAH WINFREY: You can. You can. I know it’s all a daze. But I remember seeing you briefly on the red carpet at Oscars.
Mr. DEPP: That was real weird, I mean, just because I’m not used to that kind of event.
OPRAH WINFREY: Hoopla.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Hoopla.
Mr. DEPP: Function.
OPRAH WINFREY: It’s been quite a year for you.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: How did you feel about being nominated and being in all of that hoopla?
Mr. DEPP: Shocked, you know. Completely shocked.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: It was just–yeah, it was just super bizarre, you know. I mean, I’m still in shock over that.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. And so when you’re–OK. First of all, it was a Disney film. It’s “Pirates of the Caribbean.” It has since raised $650 million worldwide. But I think…
Mr. DEPP: That’s real weird.
OPRAH WINFREY: I think in the beginning, people just thought, you know, it’s a summer movie. It’s about some pirates and the Caribbean and it’s kids. Nobody…
Mr. DEPP: That’s kind of what I thought.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. And nobody–but, obviously, when you read this script, you thought that you could bring something to the Captain Jack character that nobody else could.
Mr. DEPP: Well, I had–I mean, I had this sort of very strong idea of Captain–what Captain Jack…
OPRAH WINFREY: Sparrow.
Mr. DEPP: …Sparrow should be. And was that his name? Ba…
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. His name’s Captain Jack Sparrow.
Mr. DEPP: Thank you very much.
OPRAH WINFREY: OK.
Mr. DEPP: And just sort of stuck to my guns and went in there and did it. So, I mean, as you say, you know, the Academy Award nomination was a very strange thing, especially since for the first month, I was convinced I was going to be fired.
OPRAH WINFREY: Really?
Mr. DEPP: Oh, yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Because I heard that the studio wasn’t so delighted at first with your interpretation.
Mr. DEPP: They were a little nervous.
OPRAH WINFREY: What? They thought he was a little–what was the word they used?
Mr. DEPP: They used a lot…
OPRAH WINFREY: OK.
Mr. DEPP: …a lot…
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: …but understandably nervous.
OPRAH WINFREY: What, they didn’t like the gold teeth or they didn’t like–they thought he was a little flirty?
Mr. DEPP: Effete…
OPRAH WINFREY: Yes.
Mr. DEPP: …was one. Yeah. They didn’t like any of it at first, yeah. The gold teeth, the beard dangles, the things in the hair, the dreadlocks, the…
OPRAH WINFREY: They didn’t like any of it.
Mr. DEPP: No.
OPRAH WINFREY: And is it true that you modeled…
Mr. DEPP: They especially didn’t like me.
OPRAH WINFREY: And is it true you modelled him after Keith Richards?
Mr. DEPP: Keith was one of the main ingredients. Absolutely.
OPRAH WINFREY: Really? You did.
Mr. DEPP: Oh, there he is. He’s the best pirate in the world.
OPRAH WINFREY: I bet that’s fun because you just sta–get to live out of your imagination.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah. No. Exactly.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: I mean, you get to sort of–and for me, I mean, having done the homework for the character, I just have to sort of step in…
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: …step into frame.
OPRAH WINFREY: What was the homework? What was the homework?
Mr. DEPP: I actually–Captain Jack was–this is going to sound very weird, but he was sort of born in a sauna. Yeah. I was–I figured the pirates would have, you know, spent a lot of time in the sun.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah, in the sun.
Mr. DEPP: Sometimes, you know, grueling, you know…
OPRAH WINFREY: Heat, yeah.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah, serious heat. So I would go into the sauna for great lengths of time, which I don’t recommend, by the way. And you start to get a little woozy after about 30 minutes. I don’t think it’s very good for you. So…
OPRAH WINFREY: No, they advise not to stay in that long.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah, yeah. I know.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: I know.
OPRAH WINFREY: And that’s where the character came from?
Mr. DEPP: Yeah. That’s where the…
OPRAH WINFREY: Are you making this up or is that one wine sip…
Mr. DEPP: No, no, it’s–no, no.
OPRAH WINFREY: …that one little sip did that to you? Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah, that’s where he came from. Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: So I read–starting at the beginning, by the time you were 15, that you were–already had lived in 20 different homes. Is that true?
Mr. DEPP: Oh, maybe 40, yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Maybe 40.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Why so?
Mr. DEPP: My mom liked to move a lot. A lot.
OPRAH WINFREY: A lot.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah. One time we moved from one house to the house next door.
OPRAH WINFREY: Just because she wanted to move.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. No, seriously.
Mr. DEPP: My hand to God, yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Really?
Mr. DEPP: Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: So 40 different homes by the time–maybe 20, 30, 40.
Mr. DEPP: Probably–maybe 39, but…
OPRAH WINFREY: So how do you adjust? How do you get to be, you know, every–if you’re going in a different school all the time?
Mr. DEPP: Well, it was kind of normal for–we didn’t know anything else, you know. So for us, it was kind of normal.
OPRAH WINFREY: Wow!
Mr. DEPP: You know, you’d almost have like the whole neighborhood kind of looking out their windows as we were, you know, carrying, you know, boxes from one house to the next.
OPRAH WINFREY: Were you born–weren’t you born in the South?
Mr. DEPP: In Kentucky, yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: In Kentucky.
Mr. DEPP: Great, great.
OPRAH WINFREY: Now why are you applauding? Are you from Kentucky, too?
Mr. DEPP: Oh, good.
OPRAH WINFREY: Well, that is rare. OK, OK. And how did you get discovered?
Mr. DEPP: I moved to Los Angeles in 1983, and was basically an unemployed musician. And a buddy of mine, Nicolas Cage…
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: …great actor and I was filling out job applications, and Nick suggested that I meet his agent because he felt I should be an actor.
OPRAH WINFREY: Why?
Mr. DEPP: Don’t know.
OPRAH WINFREY: Don’t know.
Mr. DEPP: Still don’t know.
OPRAH WINFREY: Had you ever thought about it before?
Mr. DEPP: No.
OPRAH WINFREY: You really hadn’t?
Mr. DEPP: No.
OPRAH WINFREY: I read that and I didn’t believe it. It was one of those things, I go…
Mr. DEPP: Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: …they just printed that, because how could you be this good and never thought about it? How could that be?
Mr. DEPP: Oh, well…
OPRAH WINFREY: No, really.
Mr. DEPP: Thank you.
OPRAH WINFREY: No, really, you never, you know, like watched “Bonanza” and thought you wanted to be Hoss?
Mr. DEPP: All right, all right, I watched a little “Bonanza.” I…
OPRAH WINFREY: OK. But, no, so you’d never seriously thought about it until Nicolas Cage mentioned it.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah. I mean–and for me, it was really just–I just thought, well, you know, at this point, I’ll do anything. I’ve just got to pay the rent. You know, I was on the verge of being evicted and all that stuff, so…
OPRAH WINFREY: Isn’t that so interesting?
Mr. DEPP: …I tried it.
OPRAH WINFREY: Because, you know, people give up their life. They go, they’re on the streets. They’re…
Mr. DEPP: I know.
OPRAH WINFREY: …you know, thumbing rides.
Mr. DEPP: I carry the guilt. I…
OPRAH WINFREY: You–no, and they–that’s their dream…
Mr. DEPP: I know.
OPRAH WINFREY: …and just hope and hope and hope, and you never thought about it, and Nicolas Cage says, `I think you should do this,’ and here you are. Well…
Mr. DEPP: Weird.
OPRAH WINFREY: …in our research, we found tons of teen magazines from the ’80s with you as the cover boy.
Mr. DEPP: Not pretty. Oh.
OPRAH WINFREY: Here are some. Yeah, take another sip. Yeah. So what do you think…
Mr. DEPP: I’ll just drink from the bottle.
OPRAH WINFREY: What do you think when you look at those pictures? Oh, that’s kind of cute.
Mr. DEPP: They scare me to death.
OPRAH WINFREY: No, really. What do you think?
Mr. DEPP: Oh, it was a strange time, because I had become this product.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah, a product, yeah.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah, and it made me very uncomfortable because I…
OPRAH WINFREY: Made you uncomfortable.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah, because I didn’t–I mean, I didn’t…
OPRAH WINFREY: Being sort of labeled a heartthrob.
Mr. DEPP: Well, just–they just started to build this image and it had nothing to do with me, you know…
OPRAH WINFREY: Really?
Mr. DEPP: …so it was weird.
OPRAH WINFREY: OK. So when we–you know, like I pulled out the Sexiest Man Alive People cover thing. Like I know that irritates the hell out of you. It does. But could you just explain to me why it does so much? Because I think a lot of people–a lot–all of them are saying, you know, `We think you are pretty sexy.’
Mr. DEPP: It’s not so much that it irritates me. I mean, I–on–you know, on some level, if you can sort of take that kind of thing seriously, it’s flattering.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: But, in fact, it’s such a–it’s so absurd a notion, you know, to equate my name with that…
OPRAH WINFREY: Sexiest Man Alive.
Mr. DEPP: …thing is so bizarre.
OPRAH WINFREY: It’s absurd to you.
Mr. DEPP: Oh, yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: Oh, yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: And so even when you look at the cover…
Mr. DEPP: I tried not to look at the cover.
OPRAH WINFREY: You tried not to look. No. But when you see it, you see yourself–you see it and you just think, absurd. You just think, isn’t that absurd?
Mr. DEPP: Completely absurd.
OPRAH WINFREY: But isn’t it better than the opposite? Isn’t it better than, you know, being con…
Mr. DEPP: The scuzziest man alive.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah, the scuzziest man alive. OK. But–OK, let…
Mr. DEPP: I think I’ve been called that as well, though.
OPRAH WINFREY: OK. Let’s just think in terms of what, you know, sultriness is and sexy is, wouldn’t you say that you are?
Mr. DEPP: Oh, no. Come on, no. No.
OPRAH WINFREY: What would you say? What would you use to describe yourself? Sexy would not even be in the top 10…
Mr. DEPP: No, just a guy with a weird job, really, you know.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: I mean, I just have a strange job. That’s how I explain it to my kiddies.
OPRAH WINFREY: That’s how you–what you tell your kids.
Mr. DEPP: Oh, sure, yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: OK. We’ll be right back.
Next, Johnny Depp and the love of his life. And later, Johnny’s leading lady, Kate Winslet.
OPRAH WINFREY: Johnny Depp is here. “Finding Neverland” flies into theaters on November 12th. It’s a heartwarming film about the life of J.M. Barrie, who is the creator of “Peter Pan,” and it’s already receiving critical acclaim, as is Johnny’s performance. Here’s the first look at “Finding Neverland.”
(Excerpt from videotape)
OPRAH WINFREY: “Finding Neverland” is a truly-life tale that takes us on a flight of imagination through the creative genius of J.M. Barrie, writer of “Peter Pan.”
(Excerpt from “Finding Neverland,” courtesy Miramax Films)
OPRAH WINFREY: Barrie, in desperate need of inspiration, finds magic in a chance encounter with a widowed mother and her four young boys.
(Excerpt from “Finding Neverland”)
OPRAH WINFREY: As Barrie becomes a surrogate father to the family, he introduces the boys to a whole new world filled with enchanted kingdoms, pirates and mischief.
(Excerpt from “Finding Neverland”)
OPRAH WINFREY: It is the fantastical foundation for Barrie’s beloved classic children’s play.
(Excerpt from “Finding Neverland”)
OPRAH WINFREY: But just as soon as Peter Pan is about to take flight onstage, off-stage Barrie and the children face tragedy in a heartbreaking twist of fate.
(End of excerpt)
OPRAH WINFREY: I think the mother in this film was really the unspoken hero, didn’t you? Wasn’t Kate Winslet beautiful?
Mr. DEPP: Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Wonderful. Another superb–we’re going to meet her in a moment. Are you close with your own mother? Are you close to your mother?
Mr. DEPP: Very.
OPRAH WINFREY: Really?
Mr. DEPP: Oh, yeah. She’s my best friend.
OPRAH WINFREY: Really?
Mr. DEPP: Oh, yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: You have her tattoo. Is that true?
Mr. DEPP: Yeah, yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Really?
Mr. DEPP: Yeah, up here. It’s there.
OPRAH WINFREY: None of your business. Johnny is the proud father of a two-year-old son, Jack, which I love that name Jack.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: And a 5-year-old daughter, Lily-Rose, with Vanessa Paradis. Now you might recognize her from all those Chanel ads. Gorgeous. Did you–is it true–I’d read this. You never know–that you saw her walk across a room, she came up to you and said something, and you said, `I’m a goner.’
Mr. DEPP: Yeah. Yeah. I saw her back.
OPRAH WINFREY: You saw her back.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah. I saw her back from about 25 yards away. And I was just staring at this back and then suddenly it turned around, and the back had a face, and it walked towards me, directly at me, and just said, `Hi.’
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: And then I just knew, you know. It’s over with.
OPRAH WINFREY: It’s over.
Mr. DEPP: Big trouble, you know. Big trouble.
OPRAH WINFREY: Big trouble.
Mr. DEPP: Big trouble.
OPRAH WINFREY: How would you say that she has affected your life?
Mr. DEPP: Changed it completely. I mean, Vanessa and my kids gave me life; I mean, put me in another–a whole other arena. Yeah, oh, yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: What do you love the most about her?
Mr. DEPP: Well, first, you’ve got to love her for dealing with me. Just being able to deal with me. Just–she’s a great mommy. I mean, one of the most beautiful things in the world is to see a mommy with her kids. There’s nothing more beautiful, nothing more sublime, I mean. That’s true.
OPRAH WINFREY: I don’t know if you guys saw this, but Vanessa wrote quite a nice tribute to Johnny in the French Elle magazine called, Johnny Depp, My Lover. And she said, `All that I dream of, wanted, need, our story is love and friendship united.’ She said, `I have the impression that no one could love the way we love. For us, the important thing is our family, our couple, and our children, and when we talk about work, it’s not too much and never during a romantic dinner.’ Sounds like you found the love of your life. That’s pretty nice.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah. It’s amazing. Thank you.
OPRAH WINFREY: I like `our couple.’ I like her description of `our couple.’
Mr. DEPP: Our couple. Yeah, that’s sweet.
OPRAH WINFREY: Our couple. Is there a distinct difference that you feel between raising a boy and a girl?
Mr. DEPP: Oh, wow!
OPRAH WINFREY: Really.
Mr. DEPP: Oh, boy.
OPRAH WINFREY: Oh, boy.
Mr. DEPP: Well, yeah, my daughter, I mean, from the first second, was just a little princess, very delicate, very girlie. Incredibly sort of, you know, soft.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: And my son almost immediately, you know, just would, you know, vault himself into walls and, you know, runs around now with these plastic pirate swords, you know, swatting at everyone and…
OPRAH WINFREY: How has being a dad changed you? Did it soften you around the edges and soften you in places that you didn’t know?
Mr. DEPP: Well, it gives you perspective, I mean, instant perspective. You know suddenly what the important things are, you know, what’s important, what’s not important. There was a number of years where I was sort of freaked out about that strange, you know, word `celebrity,’ you know, just being followed by…
OPRAH WINFREY: Paparazzi and all that stuff.
Mr. DEPP: …photographers and stuff like that, you know.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. You had a thing with paparazzi at one time, didn’t you?
Mr. DEPP: A couple of things, yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: A couple of things. Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: But, I mean, once, you know, you have kids and you’re sort of rooted in the earth and you understand what’s important, all that stuff around you, the other things become like, you know, insects p…
OPRAH WINFREY: Even paparazzi.
Mr. DEPP: Oh, yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: Unless they try to take photographs of my kids and I catch them. That’s a different thing.
OPRAH WINFREY: And then it’s over.
Mr. DEPP: Well, it might be interesting.
OPRAH WINFREY: It might be interesting. Because didn’t you–you went to jail for a paparazzi fight, right?
Mr. DEPP: Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. You did. And Sean Penn did. I just talked to Sean Penn the other day, too, who said it was very interesting, too.
Mr. DEPP: But I went to–I was arrested in London, and I went to–the most amazing thing is when they–you know, they cuff you and they take you to jail and everything. And the cops were very, very sweet actually. As they’re bringing…
OPRAH WINFREY: Or are the cops taking you away going, `Could you get an autograph for my wife? Johnny Depp, could you give me a picture?’
Mr. DEPP: They’re bringing you in…
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: …and this–you see this sign on the wall, and it says `custody suites.’
OPRAH WINFREY: Custody suites.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Wow.
Mr. DEPP: Which I thought that’s a really classy, you know, thing. It ain’t just, you know, jail cell.
OPRAH WINFREY: Were you in a special kind of jail?
Mr. DEPP: No, I was in the custody suites in the…
OPRAH WINFREY: You were in the custody …(unintelligible). Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: Custody jail cell.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. And would you react differently now with paparazzi, do you think?
Mr. DEPP: I mean, if they want to take a picture of me, I don’t care. If they want to take a picture of me and Vanessa, I don’t care. If they want to take a picture of my kids, that’s a different thing. Because they didn’t ask for any of this, you know.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: They didn’t ask for…
OPRAH WINFREY: This life. Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: …this life or the attention, you know.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. Yeah. I agree with you on that. So you don’t live in the United States, right? You live in–do you live–officially live in France?
Mr. DEPP: No, that’s the big sort of rumor. No, I mean, I spend most of my time on location, wherever I’m shooting. Like I’ve been in London for about eight months now.
OPRAH WINFREY: Was it last year you got in a lot of hot water for making a comment about the United States being a puppy?
Mr. DEPP: Right.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: What did you say?
Mr. DEPP: What I said, which was…
OPRAH WINFREY: What did you say?
Mr. DEPP: …which was misinterpreted.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: What I said was, the United States of America is a young country compared to Europe, compared to, you know, other countries. We’re young. We’re 200 and something years old.
OPRAH WINFREY: Right.
Mr. DEPP: That’s not very old.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: You know, we’re not thousands and thousands of years old.
OPRAH WINFREY: Right.
Mr. DEPP: That’s basically all I said. I might have said a little something…
OPRAH WINFREY: But there wasn’t a puppy–was it…
Mr. DEPP: …about the current administration.
OPRAH WINFREY: Oh, you might have said something about that. Yeah. So what was the puppy quote?
Mr. DEPP: But that was not…
OPRAH WINFREY: What was thing about America’s a puppy and…
Mr. DEPP: Well, yeah, America’s–you know, you’ve got to think of it like a–kind of like a puppy dog in the sense that, you know–but you have to–you know, in the sense that it’s very, very young, but you have to remember that puppies have very sharp teeth…
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: …razor-sharp teeth…
OPRAH WINFREY: Oh.
Mr. DEPP: …and one must be careful.
OPRAH WINFREY: Now–and didn’t people–people came after you for that, did they not?
Mr. DEPP: Well, because, you know, suddenly the translation was that it was, you know…
OPRAH WINFREY: You’re not American.
Mr. DEPP: …America’s ignorant and, you know…
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: …you know, why would I do that? Why would anybody do that?
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. That’s why I didn’t believe the quote when I read it, because…
Mr. DEPP: No.
OPRAH WINFREY: …I’ve been misquoted a couple of times myself.
Mr. DEPP: Imagine.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. So–and is it true–when I read this, I thought, I’ve done that myself. When I’ve been misquoted on something and it’s been misrepresented, I will get on the phone and call the people.
Mr. DEPP: Oh, yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Did you get on the phone and call the people?
Mr. DEPP: I sure did, yeah, yeah. Absolutely.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah, yeah. And this is–what happened when you called the people?
Mr. DEPP: They were great.
OPRAH WINFREY: They were great. This is the thing. You call the people who have written these nasty letters…
Mr. DEPP: Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: …and they back down every time. They’re like, `Oh, Oprah, I didn’t mean to say that.’ Is that what happened?
Mr. DEPP: What happened was they just said–I said, `Lookit, you know, the press is not representing me. Let me represent myself. Let me speak to you.’ And they said, `OK, what do you want to say?’ I said it, told them what I meant by the comment, which was completely different than what was, you know, shot out into the public. And they said, `OK, I understand. I understand your point of view now. I’m sorry.’
OPRAH WINFREY: Really?
Mr. DEPP: Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: How many people did you call?
Mr. DEPP: I don’t know. It was maybe a dozen.
OPRAH WINFREY: A dozen people. Oh, you called a lot. Yeah. We’ll be right back.
Coming up, Johnny Depp’s most romantic moment. And later, Kate the magnificent Winslet.
OPRAH WINFREY: Johnny and I are having a little toast to his new movie, “Finding Neverland.” When it comes out November 12th, you must go and take your children. When our viewers found out that Johnny was coming on the show, we heard from many of your diehard fans. You know, you’ve got some dieharders out there. They have their–Johnny! And they all have their own burning questions, burning questions they wanted to ask. First up, Catina wanted to know something personal. Take a look.
Unidentified Man #4: Catina Moore, take one.
Ms. CATINA MOORE: Hi, Johnny. I think you are absolutely hot. I know you have a way of charming the ladies, so I wanted to know what is the most romantic thing you’ve ever done on a date?
OPRAH WINFREY: Date.
Mr. DEPP: A date.
OPRAH WINFREY: Or…
Mr. DEPP: I’m not sure I’ve ever been on a date.
OPRAH WINFREY: Let’s see. Most romantic encounter. Let’s put it that way. Most romantic encounter…
Mr. DEPP: Wow!
OPRAH WINFREY: …that you can speak of in public.
Mr. DEPP: Yeah. Just getting to that. Rented a small silent movie theater once for a date with Vanessa.
OPRAH WINFREY: A sil…
Mr. DEPP: Well, actually, a couple of times. Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: You rented a silent movie theater.
Mr. DEPP: Movie theater, yeah. And we went and watched, you know, silent films, you know, that kind of thing.
OPRAH WINFREY: That kind of thing. Another question, from one of–someone who says they’re one of Johnny’s biggest fans, but doesn’t everybody. Take a look.
Unidentified Man #4: Erika Canale, take one.
Ms. ERIKA CANALE: Hi, Johnny. I just wanted to let you know that you bring so much joy and happiness to your fans, including myself. And my question is what legacy do you want to leave behind when you leave this Earth?
OPRAH WINFREY: Hmm.
Mr. DEPP: Wow!
OPRAH WINFREY: The big legacy question.
Mr. DEPP: Better have a drink. Boy. You know, I just hope that people like the stuff I did, you know. You know, I hope the movies stick around and people like it.
OPRAH WINFREY: Really?
Mr. DEPP: And, you know, that my kids are happy and…
OPRAH WINFREY: Do you take it seriously? Yeah. I know, you always say, `Oh, God, we’re just–I’m just an actor’ or I’ve read things where you just say, `Oh, well, I’m an actor. Who’s paying attention to what actors say?’ But obviously, you take acting seriously as a craft.
Mr. DEPP: Well, I mean, the term serious actor is kind of an oxymoron, isn’t it?
OPRAH WINFREY: A little bit.
Mr. DEPP: Republican Party…
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. DEPP: …airplane food, you know.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. I got it.
Mr. DEPP: You know…
OPRAH WINFREY: Got it. When we come back, she starred in the number one movie of all time. You know what that is, right?
Audience: (In unison) Yeah!
OPRAH WINFREY: Of course. And she was in also one of my favorite films ever. Kate Winslet is here. We shall speak to her when we come back.
(Announcements)
OPRAH WINFREY: Johnny Depp is here. And you’re about to meet his equally brilliant leading lady. British star Kate Winslet plays the young widow who befriends J.M. Barrie in the new movie–it’s so wonderful–”Finding Neverland.” It’s so good. I just have always admired Kate’s work, especially in one of my favorite films ever. Take a look. I loved it.
(Excerpt from videotape)
OPRAH WINFREY: Kate Winslet’s stunning performance in “Sense and Sensibility” won her an Oscar nomination at just 20 years old. Next, Kate made Hollywood history when she set sail on the “Titanic,” the number one movie of all time. A second Oscar nomination followed, this time for best actress. Off-screen, her leading man is Oscar-winning “American Beauty” director Sam Mendes. She’s also the mother of two children, Joe and Mia. Now Kate Winslet is the heart of “Finding Neverland.” She plays the dying mother of the four young boys who inspire the tale of “Peter Pan.”
(End of excerpt)
(Excerpt from “Finding Neverland”)
OPRAH WINFREY: Kate Winslet, everybody. Kate Winslet.
So good to see you.
Ms. WINSLET:
Ms. WINSLET: Goodness me.
OPRAH WINFREY: Hi.
Mr. DEPP: Oprah has very good wine.
OPRAH WINFREY: A toast, here.
Ms. WINSLET: Yeah, I know, I saw that.
OPRAH WINFREY: Here, that’s yours.
Ms. WINSLET: I was watching in the dressing room. I was feeling really quite jealous.
OPRAH WINFREY: A toast to you, great movie. Toast, toast.
Ms. WINSLET: Thank you. Thank you.
OPRAH WINFREY: It’s the first time we’ve ever done this. This is a good idea. Cheers, cheers.
Ms. WINSLET: Oh, this is my kind of talk show.
OPRAH WINFREY: Is it? Anyway, congratulations on such an amazing performance. It really is outstanding, once again.
Ms. WINSLET: Thank you, thank you.
OPRAH WINFREY: Outstanding.
Ms. WINSLET: Thank you very much. Thank you.
OPRAH WINFREY: OK. A lot of people make a big deal about your weight. You look spectacular.
Ms. WINSLET: Thank you very much.
OPRAH WINFREY: Are you doing anything special?
Ms. WINSLET: I’m just tearing around after these two little ones. It just…
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Ms. WINSLET: …it just is great and keeps you on your toes.
OPRAH WINFREY: Just in Bazaar I think I read where you’d said you felt in some ways guilty when you had your Caesarean for your baby girl because…
Ms. WINSLET: Oh, yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Because?
Ms. WINSLET: I did–it was the strangest thing. You know, I spent my life being told I have these fantastic child-bearing hips, you know. And so, you know, I breezed through this pregnancy, merrily eating and gaining 70 pounds, or whatever, and came to the birth and, you know, I’m one of four kids, and my mom had no trouble pushing all of us out. And so I was just very excited and really looking forward to it. And when I thought about the kinds of intervention that might come into play during the labor, the one thing I never thought about was a Caesarean section. It just didn’t occur to me. And after 37 hours–you never knew this, did you? After 37 hours…
Mr. DEPP: Ouch.
OPRAH WINFREY: That’s days.
Ms. WINSLET: Yeah, yeah, I know. Oh, yeah. I know. And, basically, I got to two centimeters and that was it. And then they came and said, `You know, we’re going to have to induce you, and this will get things going much more quickly,’ and even that didn’t work.
OPRAH WINFREY: Really?
Ms. WINSLET: No. Even that didn’t work. And then C-section, there you go. But I did–yeah, and I did–because it was such a shock, I did sort of feel like I’d failed in a funny kind of a way. And I think just because of, you know, my mum being such a great child-bearer and her mother as well. My mum’s one of six kids. And so it was a big deal for me. And then I had…
OPRAH WINFREY: You know that’s ridiculous.
Ms. WINSLET: Well, I do now.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. That’s ridiculous.
Ms. WINSLET: I do now. And then I had my son, Joe, completely naturally, so…
OPRAH WINFREY: Epidural, though, right?
Ms. WINSLET: …there you go.
OPRAH WINFREY: Did you have an epidural?
Ms. WINSLET: I had an epidural. Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Good, yeah.
Ms. WINSLET: I did. I was induced. And I did 15 hours with nothing, and then I thought, OK, now, you know, I really am actually going to fall apart. So had the epidural and that meant that I…
OPRAH WINFREY: So you did 15 hours without the epidural.
Ms. WINSLET: Yeah. And…
OPRAH WINFREY: God bless you.
Ms. WINSLET: …I…
Mr. DEPP: I’m going to have a drink.
OPRAH WINFREY: OK. We’ll be right back with more from Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.
OPRAH WINFREY: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, and I are sharing a toast to their new movie, “Finding Neverland,” that flies into theaters on November 12th. You’ve been very outspoken, really, about I think a lot of things, but body–women’s body image in Hollywood. Yeah, yeah.
Ms. WINSLET: Yes, I have been somewhat. Oops.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. Yes. I think that’s a good thing. I think that’s a good thing. What do you want people to know?
Ms. WINSLET: Well, I think–I remember Leo when we were doing “Titanic” saying to me, `You know, it’s really important that you are the shape that you are,’ and I was like, `Well, what do you mean by that?’ And it was kind of a really out-of-the-blue conversation that we had in the middle of shooting. He said, `Because there are so many skinny girls out there who think that to be successful and to be beautiful and, therefore, to be loved and respected, it means you have to be thin.’ And this kind of really struck a chord with me, and I thought, God, he’s really right actually, in that in some way, this image is being translated to teen-age girls, you know, and that…
OPRAH WINFREY: Especially.
Ms. WINSLET: And especially, and on some level, they really do think that to get a great guy or to be, you know, the smartest or the nicest one in their class that they have to be, you know, skinny and pretty. And it just really, really bothered me. And so when “Titanic” was so successful and I was…
OPRAH WINFREY: Tell me you had a piece of that. Did you have just like some back-end piece or a portion or a percentage or something?
Ms. WINSLET: No, no, I didn’t.
OPRAH WINFREY: Oh.
Mr. DEPP: I’m going to have another drink.
OPRAH WINFREY: You didn’t? I would think you would never have to work another day in your life unless you just decided I like the script.
Ms. WINSLET: Well, you know, it was different back then. No one sort of really kind of knew who I was particularly, so it was fine. It was fine. It really was.
OPRAH WINFREY: It’s fine.
Ms. WINSLET: It was fine. But when…
OPRAH WINFREY: Just like one-half of a percentage point would be very nice, but, OK, you’ve let it go.
Ms. WINSLET: Let it go. It’s fine.
OPRAH WINFREY: OK. I’ll let it go, too.
Ms. WINSLET: Phew.
OPRAH WINFREY: I’ll let it go.
Ms. WINSLET: OK.
OPRAH WINFREY: OK.
Ms. WINSLET: But then so when the Academy Awards came around for “Titanic,” you know, I thought, you know what? I’m young. I’m 21 years old, and I’m in this movie, and it’s very successful. And I’ve been nominated for an Academy Award for this. And I haven’t done any of this through being skinny or through starving myself or anything like that, and so I thought, I’m just going to hold my head high and I’m just going to be the person that I am, and–thank you. And I’ve just tried to continue to do the same thing. And now as a mother myself, you know, with my daughter, because it is girls, frankly, I think, who suffer the most with this kind of internal battle, you know, it’s even more important to me than ever.
OPRAH WINFREY: That and plastic surgery. What do you–what’s your take on…
Ms. WINSLET: Oh, my God. Oh, my God. It just–that just drives me nuts. It just drives me nuts. Why would you want to, you know, inject your face with a rat’s testicle? I mean, why–I mean–no, I just…
OPRAH WINFREY: Is that what it is? Is that what…
Ms. WINSLET: Well, it’s something like that…
OPRAH WINFREY: Or whatever. Yeah.
Ms. WINSLET: …isn’t it? Something strange.
OPRAH WINFREY: A rat’s testicle, yeah, yeah.
Ms. WINSLET: But, yeah. I mean, that is my feeling about it. It’s–you know, I mean, we should all be growing old gracefully and just letting, you know, nature take its course. And more importantly, you know, for actors and actresses, you know, that’s your livelihood. You know, that’s–I would feel so dishonest if I couldn’t move part of my face properly in order to portray a certain part…
OPRAH WINFREY: Right.
Ms. WINSLET: …or convey a particular emotion. And so it just really frightens the life out of me.
OPRAH WINFREY: OK. We’ll be right back.
Coming up, Kate shows off her special talent.
OPRAH WINFREY: OK. You do a really good American accent, too.
Ms. WINSLET: Oh, thank you very much.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Ms. WINSLET: Thank you.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah. How do you teach yourself to be American?
Ms. WINSLET: Well, I…
OPRAH WINFREY: Like could you speak a little American for us?
Ms. WINSLET: Oh, God, don’t you hate it when they do that?
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah, I do. Take a sip and do it.
Mr. DEPP: I’ll take a sip, too.
Ms. WINSLET: OK.
OPRAH WINFREY: OK, good. Great. Good.
Ms. WINSLET: (With American accent) Oprah, it is so great to be here. Thank you so much for having me on the show. And, Johnny, it’s great to see you.
OPRAH WINFREY: Excellent! Johnny, of course, in “Finding Neverland,” does Scottish. So could you do a little for us?
Ms. WINSLET: Oh, nice!
Mr. DEPP: Oh.
OPRAH WINFREY: Oh, good.
Mr. DEPP: (With Scottish accent) It was quite a long time ago.
Ms. WINSLET: Oh!
OPRAH WINFREY: Oh, very good. Very good. Very good. We’ll be right back.
Next, the amazing child actor who I think he’s…
Ms. WINSLET: Incredible.
OPRAH WINFREY: He’s incredible.
Ms. WINSLET: Incredible.
Mr. DEPP: Amazing.
OPRAH WINFREY: He’s going to steal your heart. You’ve never seen a child actor like this. We’ll be right back.
(Excerpt from “Finding Neverland”)
OPRAH WINFREY: At the time he did that movie, he was 10 years old. Now he’s 12 years old, Freddie Highmore, in the new wonderful movie “Finding Neverland,” which opens in theaters November 12th. Please welcome–you’re going to introduce him to us.
Mr. DEPP: Oh, yeah. Freddie Highmore.
Ms. WINSLET: Yea, Freddie.
OPRAH WINFREY: Freddie.
Hello. What a pleasure to have you here. Pleasure to have you here. Oh, my goodness. We have never seen anybody quite like you ever.
FREDDIE HIGHMORE (”Finding Neverland”): Thanks.
OPRAH WINFREY: Never, ever, ever. So did you grow up wanting to–well, grow up. You’re–well, did you always want to be an actor?
FREDDIE H: Well, I wasn’t sure when I was young and I thought it might be…
OPRAH WINFREY: When you were young, yes.
FREDDIE H: Yeah. When I was younger, I thought it would be quite fun to do a small part and see how it went, so I went to an audition, and I did a small part, and then the parts got bigger and bigger and…
OPRAH WINFREY: The parts got bigger and bigger. So how young were you when you did your first one?
FREDDIE H: I think I was about five and–yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Really?
FREDDIE H: Yeah.
OPRAH WINFREY: Would you say that this is your biggest part?
FREDDIE H: Yeah, yeah, definitely.
OPRAH WINFREY: Now I had read that Johnny is your hero. Was that correct–is that a correct…
FREDDIE H: Yeah, it is. Yeah, he is a hero to me.
OPRAH WINFREY: He is a hero.
FREDDIE H: And, of course, Kate is my heroine.
Ms. WINSLET: Oh.
OPRAH WINFREY: Have you ever worked with a child actor like this? I had read a quote.
Ms. WINSLET: I’ll have to put my fingers in your ears so I don’t spoil you. No, I’ve never worked with a child actor like Freddie, because Freddie is Freddie, and there’s just simply no one else like him. I mean…
OPRAH WINFREY: Really?
Ms. WINSLET: I…
OPRAH WINFREY: You can feel him giving. You can feel him in the scenes. You can.
Ms. WINSLET: Well, yes, you absolutely can. And you can’t help but react to the honesty that he’s giving you.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah, it’s pure.
Ms. WINSLET: It’s completely…
OPRAH WINFREY: Clean, clean, clean.
Ms. WINSLET: It’s completely pure.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah, yeah.
Ms. WINSLET: But at the same time, I would like to say that Freddie is also very much a keen footballer and a totally normal kid who would round the boys up at lunchtimes and they all completely played together and they all got on so great. That was one of the really great things, wasn’t it, about the film.
FREDDIE H: Yeah. Yeah.
Ms. WINSLET: You know, it was a very much a really happy family.
OPRAH WINFREY: Good.
Ms. WINSLET: But that’s sort of a cliche, but it was true.
OPRAH WINFREY: Yeah.
Ms. WINSLET: It really was like that.
OPRAH WINFREY: So you’re going to be doing another movie with Johnny, is that true?
FREDDIE H: Yeah, we’re doing “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
OPRAH WINFREY: Oh, are you? Exciting. I’m glad we get to–so tell us about it. Tell us about it. Tell us about it.
FREDDIE H: I can’t say too much, but it’s fantastic.
OPRAH WINFREY: Can you say who you play?
FREDDIE H: Yeah, I play Charlie.
OPRAH WINFREY: Fantastic. Fantastic. Well, congratulations to you. It just was an outstanding performance.
FREDDIE H: Thanks a lot.
OPRAH WINFREY: Outstanding performance. We’ll be right back. “Finding Neverland,” November 12th.
OPRAH WINFREY: Thanks to my guests, Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, and Freddie Highmore. Remember the movie “Finding Neverland.” It is really great. Isn’t it, audience? It’s just–ah. Wonderful. Opens November 12th. Don’t forget to vote today! Bye, everybody.
Posted by: Ruth
Posted in: News > Finding Neverland > TV Transcripts
