Actor Johnny Depp was forced to mortgage his own West Hollywood home, signaling the talented actor’s cash-strapped status.
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Try as he may, actor Johnny Depp just cannot stay out of the spotlight. The 60-year-old Hollywood natural and Pirates of the Caribbean alum has made more than 80 films since he began his career as a teenager with a tiny role in the horror film Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), directed by Wes Craven. He then had a recurring role in the television series 21 Jump Street (1987-1990) before landing the role that would serve as his springboard to super-stardom–that of the title role in Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands (1990). He starred in Cry-Baby (1990), What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Benny and Joon (1993), Ed Wood (1994), Dead Man (1995), Donnie Brasco (1997), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), and Sleepy Hollow (1999).
And while each of these films was successful in its own right, some of that success pales in comparison to the roles Depp would play as he moved his acting career into the 21st century.
He would go on to play a role for which he will be known for all time to come–that of the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (2003–2017), which currently includes five films and, because of Depp’s development and delivery of the Sparrow character, has grown into a nearly $5 billion enterprise. Johnny Depp went on to receive rave reviews for his role in Chocolat (2000) before starring in Finding Neverland (2004), Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Public Enemies (2009), and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010). And the list goes on.
Johnny Depp has one of the most lengthy resumes in Hollywood–one that spans a career of more than 40 years and includes a wide variety of roles in films, sealing a long-standing, record-breaking, lucrative campaign as the face of Dior’s Sauvage men’s fragrance, a sold-out artistic series campaign, and years of writing music, playing guitar with his friend, the late musician Jeff Beck, and touring in Europe with his band, The Hollywood Vampires.
It begs the question: Is there anything John Christopher Depp cannot do?
After more than 40 years in Hollywood, numerous wildly-successful films, a multi-million-dollar ad campaign deal, and various other successful projects under his belt, Johnny Depp has amassed a fortune–so fans might think. While he’s certainly earned a fortune over the years, numerous outlets have reported that Depp has also spent a majority of that fortune, possibly resulting in financial woes for the 60-year-old Edwards Scissorhands alum.
Recently, Depp was reportedly dancing on the line between home ownership and final foreclosure on two of his homes located in West Hollywood, California, but he was able to take out a massive loan that saved them. According to records obtained by The New York Post, Depp’s smaller house on North Sweetzer Avenue, which was in foreclosure in 2016 for more than $4 million, was in “full reconveyance” after Depp paid what was in arrears.
Johnny Depp took out a massive $10 million loan in March of this year on the other home in question–his home that’s known for its resemblance to a Bavarian castle. Depp purchased the home in 1995 for $2.15 million, and in 2018, the home went into default for the amount of $5 million. Presently, the once-handsome gothic-style home in West Hollywood features ripped canvas-topped towers and is covered by overgrown trees and brush, and the overall appearance of the home is anything but regal.
According to The Daily Mail:
The “Fantastic Beasts” star has largely abandoned the eight-bedroom pile in West Hollywood and instead is spending most of his downtime at his island home in the Bahamas. Depp is currently in Europe, on tour with Hollywood Vampires, the band he formed with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry. They played in London on Monday and are moving on to the Czech Republic.
Depp was reportedly forced to take out the multi-million-dollar loan with City National Bank because of his cash-strapped status. The bank is known as the “bank to the stars” for its “bumper borrowing deals to A-listers.” But considering all of Depp’s success over the years of his acting career, why would he need to take out a loan? The Daily Mail goes on to suggest that Depp was cash-strapped when it came to bailing the homes out of foreclosure after blowing his $650 million fortune on legal fees associated with the years-long battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard over allegations of domestic abuse, defamation, and the like.
The Daily Mail further alleges that Depp has been a reckless spender over the years as well, leading to his cash-strapped status.