Will Johnny Depp Turn to God in His Time of Crisis?
Reading the current Rolling Stone magazine exclusive interview with troubled superstar Johnny Depp pierced my heart deeply. I sensed an urgency to write this commentary to call Christians to engage in fervent prayer for this gifted and needy man who’s so in need of God’s love and recalibration of his life. His brokenness speaks to where we all were before repenting and trusting in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ.
Johnny Depp is regarded as one of the world’s richest and biggest movie stars. As he turned 55, his personal and financial world started falling apart. Concerned individuals pray for him and hope he will look heavenward as his ongoing restless life spirals dangerously out of control.
The increase of suicides by high-profile celebrities in their extravagant lifestyles raises the alarm. The Bible warns of “people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways. … They shall not enter into My rest” (Ps. 95:10-11).
Depp resembles very much the individual described in the book of Ecclesiastes. Throughout the book, the writer presents a multitude of examples showing mankind’s fruitless pursuit of pleasure and contentment apart from a right relationship with God. Recently I wrote a commentary on the tragic ending of Robin Williams’ life, a man who had everything, but in the end hung himself instead of looking to the living God.
As societal and personal pressures increase, people without an anchor in God are subject to desperate moves. My daughter is currently engaged in a 39-city evangelistic mission to reach just such people. Yesterday she shared a note with me that broke my heart and strengthened my resolve to share the transformative message of the gospel consistently while equipping others to do likewise. I encourage you to use this free resource on YouTube so you’re prepared and confident in sharing your faith.
“I am a broken person. I am lost… I need a hand to guide me. I need a kind heart to love me. Every day, I wake up and I wish I hadn’t. I honestly don’t want to be on this earth anymore. I want to die.”
Not long ago, Kentucky-born Johnny Depp, who grew up absent a father and said his mom was “the meanest human being I’ve ever met” was asked by interviewer Larry King if he had faith. He replied, “Yes, I have faith in my kids. And I have—I have faith, you know, that as long as you keep moving forward, just keep walking forward, things will be all right. Faith in terms of religion, I don’t—religion is not my specialty, you know.”
Rare Rolling Stone Interview
I personally believe that Johnny Depp is reaching out for help but doesn’t know where to turn. In an extremely rare interview given to Rolling Stone magazine, he reveals the chilling and tragic details of a megastar on a fast track to destruction unless he repents and is born again.
Survey quickly who this man is and what he’s been “lucky” (his words) to achieve.
Unless you’ve been residing on another planet you probably know that Johnny Depp is arguably one of the most successful and most recognized celebrities in the world. He’s a global brand and a superstar heartthrob whose career was launched over 30 years ago as the star of the 21 Jump Street TV show.
He catapulted to worldwide fame starring as “Jack Sparrow” in the extremely successful Disney franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean films. He’s received numerous awards for his other movies: Edward Scissorhands; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Alice in Wonderland; The Lone Ranger; Sleepy Hollow; Rango and beyond.
Our celluloid film star has made $650 million from his movies that have grossed $3.6 billion!
The article discloses that Depp spent $75 million on 14 residences, including a Saint Tropez estate. Stephen Rodrick conducted this RS interview at the 10,500 square-foot London mansion.
In a mega million lawsuit being brought against Depp it alleges that he bought 70 guitars; 45 luxury vehicles and a yacht; 200 pieces of art; spent $200,000 a month on private air travel; has 12 storage facilities for his memorabilia; pays $1.8 million a year for round-the-clock security; spent $108,000 on suits from a trip to Singapore; plus bought an island for himself, following in the footsteps of his idol, Marlon Brando.
Depp boastfully refutes a claim in the suit that he spent $30,000 a month on wine. “It’s insulting to say I spent $30,000 a month on wine. It was far more!”
Of his earnings, Johnny “tells the truth” that “almost all of it is gone.”
Unbelievable? There’s More
Johnny has been involved in numerous lawsuits over the years but in this one he says people took his money. In the countersuit, associates allege that Johnny has a “$2 million-a-month spending disorder,” plus owes millions in unpaid loans and IRS taxes. In addition, he’s being sued by his bodyguards and is accumulating millions in legal fees.
Johnny shared the rambling interview while indulging in wine and hashish, admitting he loved the drug Quaaludes. We discover he used to live in “Dracula’s Castle” estate above Sunset Boulevard and his attempted record company, UNISON RECORDS, failed.
His romantic relationships in marriages and with high-profile actresses and supermodels have crashed and burned. His last divorce brought a lawsuit where the actress claimed Depp was “an alcoholic and a drug addict” and that his “drug and alcohol abuse had increased dramatically in recent years as had his violent behavior.”
Photographs of Depp in recent days have alarmed observers. The article mentions his appearance as gaunt and sickly now with a “scared, hunted look.” He’s resembling, “Elvis Presley’s last days.”
Stephen Rodrick mentions eerily that Johnny had them watch his friend Marilyn Manson’s video “KILL4ME” which featured Depp in lewd poses with scantily clad women. He referred to “acute depression” and our tragic figure saying, “I was as low as I believe I could’ve gotten.”
Reacting to this avalanche of accumulating, catastrophic events, Adam Waldman, Depp’s personal lawyer, commented, “No one challenges the monster of Hollywood and survives!”
At the close of the interview laced with profanities that spewed from Johnny’s mouth, Mr. Rodrick related how Johnny fumbled for 15 minutes trying to figure out how to open the gates to his mansion fortress. It was futile so the interviewer finally just climbed over the fence. “He is a lost boy who won’t find his way home before dark.”
He observed, “Depp turned and walked back to his gilded prison.”
Here’s the Deal
Tracing Depp’s descent is heart wrenching and should motivate all compassionate Christians to intercede for him. His carefree, quirky “Jack Sparrow” image masks a man desperately in need of Jesus.
Will you join with me in praying for divine intervention to rescue this “lost boy … to find his way home before dark?” God loves him so much. May his story be like George Bailey in the classic, It’s a Wonderful Life where a turnaround experience enabled him to discover what eluded him for so many years.
