Forget about Bill, Friday is ‘Johnny Depp Day’

Black Mass tells the story of Whitey Bulger (played by Depp), a convicted murderer and crime boss who acted as an informant for the FBI starting in the 1970’s. Black Mass actually belongs to Joel Edgerton, who plays Federal Bureau of Investigation agent John Connolly.

O’Neill said the film is a realistic portrayal of Bulger and his relationship with the FBI, particularly Connolly, who is now serving a 40-year prison term for second-degree murder for leaking information to Bulger that prompted him to order the killing of a Boston businessman.

She also opened up about working with Depp and revealed the pair bonded over their mutual friendship with Hunter S. Thompson.

Making Depp resemble the famed Boston gangster required covering the upper half of his face with a prosthetic, and creating 50 different headpieces to mimic Bulger’s receding hairline, Boston magazine reported.

While never winning, Depp earned noms for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Finding Neverland (2004) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). I could make a case for 2011’s Rango, which is a legitimately great movie, although it’s animated so maybe that doesn’t count.

Meanwhile, in my wildest dreams, I like to think that Captain Jack Sparrow is also real – and not just because Depp was inspired by Keith Richards and Pepe Le Pew. I think so. It’s hard to say. Again, his version of Bulger is intense, but for this movie to work, he kind of has to be.

In our featurette above, we go behind the scenes to see how Johnny willingly sacrificed his good looks to get into the part.

But for all the deserved accolades Depp will receive, this movie really is secretly Edgerton’s. He is senior entertainment writer at Uproxx. (Bulger subsequently evades law enforcement, consolidates his power and becomes one of Boston’s most ruthless and powerful gangsters.) With Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Peter Sarsgaard; directed by Scott Cooper.