Johnny Depp stars in timeless detective story
Agatha Christie’s greatest classic mystery, Murder on the Orient Express, with its richly drawn characters confined to a luxurious passenger train, taut scenes and crisp dialogue, has fixated audiences since the novel’s debut in 1934. The Times of London wrote upon its publishing, “The little grey cells solve once more the seemingly insoluble. Mrs. Christie makes an improbable tale very real, and keeps her readers enthralled and guessing to the end.”
Readers have been captivated with the mystery, the crime, the story and the character of Hercule Poirot for generations. The allure of Orient Express was magnified by Christie’s work, and travelers continue to flock to discover the illustrious compartments and service to this day. Room 411 in the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul, where Christie allegedly wrote the novel, also remains a popular destination site. There are societies and clubs the world over dedicated to rediscovering Christie’s mysteries, particularly those featuring Hercule Poirot.
Johnny Depp was intrigued by how the story felt relevant and fresh on its latest film adaptation. “It’s got everything you might expect from Agatha Christie,” he said. “Death, murder, interesting characters, an unusual, often glamorous situation — all of those elements, inside a wonderful location and journey, are all there. But I was really impressed to return to it and see how it hadn’t dated, and, in fact, it had reinvented itself, I think, which is a sign of very good storytelling.”
Depp plays Edward Ratchet, a gangster in the film adaptation of
Murder on the Orient Express, directed by Kenneth Branagh (who also plays a central role in the film). While many of the film characters are grappling with the lines between good and evil, Ratchett is seemingly the one inherently evil character on the train. “Ratchett is a gangster, a small-time gangster, it seems, who is on the train with his secretary and his butler,” says Branagh. “He has money, but he does not have peace of mind.”
Ratchett is disturbed and unsettled, as someone is after him, and he becomes aware of it through a series of provocative notes, threatening messages that are found on the train. He seeks Poirot’s help, and it is not an easy conversation between him and Poirot. In turn, audiences can see Ratchett is not going to have an easy journey on the Orient Express.
“From the second Ratchett enters the story, you can sense his paranoia and his urgency to befriend Poirot and protect himself,” says Depp. “The elegance of the train, the gangster swagger of Ratchett combined with his greasy confidence culminate into an extremely compelling and amusing character to play.”
Branagh describes Depp as bringing: “A wonderful, seedy glamour to this very sharp-minded, clearly dangerous, and clever mobster. Johnny’s performance is dark, it’s dangerous, and it is very funny.”
“Johnny Depp oozes with charisma and charm and confidence and is the loveliest, sweetest and most fun co-star you could imagine,” offers Josh Gad. “And then he can turn on this character like Ratchett, who’s the complete opposite in every way, and it’s incredible to watch. It’s become an expectation now, that every time Johnny creates a new character, you’re so excited to see what that’s going to look like. Each one has so many layers, physically and vocally — he’s able to identify it so specifically.”
A three-time Academy Award nominee in the category of Best Actor, Depp was honored with his first Oscar nod for his work in Gore Verbinski’s 2003 blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which launched the hugely-successful film franchise. He also won a Screen Actors Guild
(SAG) award and an Empire Award and garnered Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations for his creation of Captain Jack Sparrow, who became an instant screen classic. Depp went on to reprise the role in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, earning another Golden Globe nomination; Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. He recently starred in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
His next Oscar nomination came for his performance in Marc Forster’s acclaimed 2004 drama
Finding Neverland. For his portrayal of Peter Pan author James Barrie in that film, he also received Golden Globe, BAFTA Award and SAG Award nominations. He earned his third Oscar nomination for his work in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, director Tim Burton’s 2007 screen adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical. Depp also won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical for his performance in the film’s title role. Murder on the Orient Express opens Nov. 29 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.