DEPP WARMED OVER
Sad shell of an ex-heartthrob
Johnny be gaunt. Shocking photos posted to Instagram show Johnny Depp looking thin and sickly while posing Saturday with fans in Russia, nearly unrecognizable from his heartthrob heyday. Two Russian women took snaps with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor — one at the Vladimir Mayakovsky Museum in Moscow , with Depp wearing a “Fugly” cap, a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Stay Humble or Be Humbled” and a pained smile. Depp — who is on tour with his rock band, Hollywood Vampires — completed the disheveled look with ripped jeans, several silver chain necklaces and a variety of bracelets covering up his wrists. It’s unclear if Depp’s physical transformation was for a movie role. “I thank the universe for the wonderful work and amazing opportunities,” makeup artist Nadya Shestakova wrote in the caption of her photo with Depp, which was translated from Russian. And Katerina Kurt wrote — also in Russian — “Thanks to my best work in the world for the opportunity to meet such amazing people!”
But the happy pictures sent fans into a tailspin speculating that Depp, 54, is unwell.
“Why is he looking so skinny[?], hope he is ok,” commented Paul Bevan.
“Woah! Is #JohnnyDepp deathly ill or preparing for a ridiculous movie role?” tweeted user @SomethingISaid. “this is not the #Edwardscissorhands I had Such a #crush on.”
Others suggested drugs could be the reason Depp looks more like Freddy Krueger from “A Nightmare on Elm Street” than his usual self.
“Junkie,” wrote Peter J. Schultz on Kurt’s photo.
“That is what drug addiction looks like and he’s on his way out if he doesn’t get help soon!” tweeted @jimbojangles21.
Once a Hollywood golden boy, Depp has endured a slew of unflattering press over the past several years. Ex-wife Amber Heard filed a restraining order against him for alleged physical abuse in 2016.
In court filings, Heard referred to the actor as “an alcoholic and drug addict,” a condition that “has increased dramatically in recent years, as has his violent behavior.”
Depp in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2008 admitted to abusing alcohol. “I’m a dumb-a--, and I poisoned myself for years,” he said.
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor will return to the big screen in November in the Harry Potter spin-off “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.”