Johnny Depp

Borat The Rewatchables May 19, 2026

Borat

Casting What-Ifs

Johnny Depp, George Clooney, and Steve Martin reportedly wanted appearances, but Sacha Baron Cohen declined

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 01:03:43Read transcript

Johnny Depp, George Clooney, and Steve Martin reportedly wanted appearances, but Sacha Baron Cohen declined — Bill Simmons

The Grand Budapest Hotel The Rewatchables August 13, 2024

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Casting What-Ifs

Lansbury; Depp rumor denied; Norton’s versatility

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:38:19Read transcript

Angela Lansbury was intended for Madame D. but a stage commitment to Driving Miss Daisy caused a scheduling conflict. — Chris Ryan
Anderson denied a rumor that Johnny Depp was considered for Gustave. — Chris Ryan
Norton could choose a role except Gustave, which was reserved for Fiennes; Norton would otherwise have pursued it. — Chris Ryan

Mr. and Mrs. Smith The Rewatchables November 21, 2023

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Casting What-Ifs

Nicole Kidman; Johnny Depp; Will Smith; Cate Blanchett; Catherine Zeta-Jones; Gwen Stefani; Gwyneth Paltrow

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:09:48Read transcript

Pitt and Nicole Kidman were originally cast; after Kidman left and Pitt dropped out, Depp and Will Smith were approached. — Bill Simmons
Reported possibilities include Depp with Cate Blanchett and Will Smith with Catherine Zeta-Jones; Gwen Stefani says she came close. — Chris Ryan
Liman reportedly wanted Gwyneth Paltrow because she and Pitt were exes; the idea of exploiting that baggage is criticized. — Bill Simmons
Liman ultimately described using Pitt and Paltrow’s past as too much manipulation; Blanchett was unavailable because of The Aviator. — Bill Simmons

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves The Rewatchables November 7, 2023

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Casting What-Ifs

Gibson; Wright; Kidman; Kensit; Hurley; Grant; Cleese; Connery; disputed Elwes and Depp reports

In the discussion (9)

Approx. transcript time · 01:07:03Read transcript

Mel Gibson reportedly declined Robin after Hamlet. — Bill Simmons
Robin Wright reportedly withdrew from Marian because of pregnancy and was replaced by Mastrantonio. — Bill Simmons
Nicole Kidman is a reported Marian possibility. — Chris Ryan
Patsy Kensit is a reported Marian possibility. — Chris Ryan
Elizabeth Hurley is a reported Marian possibility.
Richard E. Grant reportedly could not play the sheriff because of Hudson Hawk. — Bill Simmons
The claim that Cary Elwes declined Robin is explicitly doubted. — Bill Simmons
The claim that Johnny Depp declined Will Scarlet is explicitly doubted, though he is imagined as a better choice. — Bill Simmons
John Cleese was reportedly proposed as King Richard before Costner pushed for Connery, whose fee was described as reduced to a charitable donation. — Bill Simmons

Eyes Wide Shut The Rewatchables August 15, 2023

Eyes Wide Shut

Casting What-Ifs

Woody Allen; Steve Martin; Harrison Ford; Baldwin and Basinger; Jennifer Jason Leigh; Depp doubted

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 00:47:37Read transcript

Jennifer Jason Leigh reportedly filmed Marion’s scene but could not return for reshoots because of a Cronenberg film. — Chris Ryan
Woody Allen was reportedly considered in the1970s; the possibility is dismissed as disastrous. — Sean Fennessey
Steve Martin was reportedly considered for a1980s sex comedy with a wild and somber quality. — Sean Fennessey
Harrison Ford was reportedly a top choice, with Harford described as a nod to his name; a late1980s version is considered appealing.
Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger were reportedly considered; Basinger’s suitability is questioned.
Johnny Depp is named as a reported possibility but explicitly doubted. — Bill Simmons

The Devil’s Advocate The Rewatchables July 25, 2023

The Devil’s Advocate

Recasting Couch

Robert Ridgely, Philip Baker Hall or William H. Macy as Barzoon; Tom Skerritt as Cullen; Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp as Lomax; Jack Nicholson as Milton

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:16:58Read transcript

Replacements for Jones include Ridgely, Hall and Macy; Hall is questioned as insufficiently plausible as a jogger.
Skerritt is proposed for Cullen, and Pitt is recalled as a stronger lead.
Pitt and Depp are suggested as actors who could have elevated the lead role. — Bill Simmons
Redford is rejected as Milton, while Nicholson is considered able to deliver the speeches.

Indecent Proposal The Rewatchables April 11, 2023

Indecent Proposal

Casting What-Ifs

Cruise/Kidman/Beatty; Julia Roberts; Johnny Depp

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:06:28Read transcript

The original reported star configuration was Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman with Warren Beatty as the billionaire, enthusiastically compared with their later Eyes Wide Shut. — Bill Simmons
Julia Roberts reportedly declined Diana; her apparent youth and repeating a paid-sex premise after Pretty Woman draw objections, although the character’s age is estimated at twenty-six. — Bill Simmons
Harrelson reportedly left Benny and Joon and faced a lawsuit; Johnny Depp had been approached for this film before taking that role, while White Men Can’t Jump persuaded Lyne to cast Harrelson. — Mallory Rubin
Harrelson is defended as inspired casting because David needs less overwhelming attractiveness than Cruise despite the marriage’s continuing sexual chemistry. — Mallory Rubin

Titanic The Rewatchables March 15, 2022

Titanic

Casting What-Ifs

Johnny Depp; Jared Leto; Claire Danes; Jeremy Sisto; Billy Crudup; Gwyneth Paltrow; Winona Ryder; Matthew McConaughey; Enya; Robert De Niro

In the discussion (8)

Approx. transcript time · 01:11:55Read transcript

Johnny Depp reportedly turned down Jack over the script; Jared Leto was reportedly favored but would not audition, and the actress transcribed as Claire Daines was supposedly wanted for Rose. — Bill Simmons
Jeremy Sisto auditioned multiple times and is lamented as never finding the right part; Billy Crudup was considered but was committed to Without Limits. — Bill Simmons
DiCaprio excelled in testing, and Winslet reportedly lobbied hard, telling Cameron to pick DiCaprio even if not her. — Bill Simmons
Gwyneth Paltrow and Winona Ryder were reportedly in the mix; Paltrow might have been decent but is judged too regal, and Winslet remains the best choice. — Bill Simmons
The Cal role was reportedly offered to Matthew McConaughey, who turned it down. — Bill Simmons
McConaughey as Cal is judged unworkable; a report that he was also offered Jack is doubted. — Bill Simmons
Cameron reportedly wanted Enya for the music before settling on Celine Dion. — Bill Simmons
Robert De Niro was reportedly offered Captain Smith but declined due to a gastrointestinal infection; he would have been fun in the role. — Bill Simmons

New Jack City The Rewatchables March 9, 2021

New Jack City

The Teddy KGB Award for the Actor in a Completely Different Movie

Judd Nelson

In the discussion (16)

Approx. transcript time · 01:31:27Read transcript

Chris Ryan joins for a cameo, credited as a reason the podcast started and a lover of this movie. — Bill Simmons
A new category is introduced, the Judd Nelson Award, for anyone who seems to be in a completely different movie than everyone else. — Bill Simmons
Nick Peretti is one of the all-time great jarhead cops, essentially John Bender as a narc; as a child this seemed the apex of undercover cops, so Pacino in Serpico seemed to bite Nelson's style. — Chris Ryan
Everyone asks what Judd Nelson is doing in this movie; the performance is a Russian nesting doll, with a favorite moment when he turns into a William Faulkner-style storyteller while drinking with Scotty after Pookie dies.
He is a weird racist ally who calls Scotty high yellow and lies on his bed in boots, yet kills someone for Scotty at the end; possibly made unlikable so he could be redeemed.
He delivers the key line that drugs are not a black or white thing but a death thing; the role feels like it could have been added in reshoots. — Van Lathan
Johnny Depp was sought but too expensive; it was a comeback role for Nelson.
Peretti is either divorced or just out of a long relationship with a high school sweetheart, and lives in New York. — Chris Ryan
Imagined backstory: a cold-water apartment in Brooklyn, early retirement to fund an independent hip-hop label, an estranged daughter as an unfilmed deleted scene, and kinship with Jonah and Chelsea Peretti.
His introduction in untied boots and baggy jeans homages John Bender, and firing his gun in the man's house is baffling.
Making him literally John Bender would be amazing, with a sequel where Emilio Estevez's Andrew runs an HGH ring.
Estevez could also be the kid dangled off the bridge. — Bill Simmons
If Nelson had been going through a substance problem during filming, the performance would make the same sense. — Chris Ryan
He smiles at odd moments; the theory is he read the script and played a Martin Riggs type hoping for a Lethal Weapon-style spin-off with Ice T. — Bill Simmons
A recent Judd Nelson film about a man keeping his daughter in a basement was recommended after watching New Jack City. — Van Lathan
The episode closes by congratulating Judd Nelson on whatever he was doing in this movie. — Bill Simmons

The Program The Rewatchables December 8, 2020

The Program

Casting What-Ifs

Johnny Depp as Joe Kane

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:25:47Read transcript

According to an oral history, the director wanted Johnny Depp for the Joe Kane role after 21 Jump Street, but Depp, not a sports fan, turned it down. — Bill Simmons
Sheffer's quote that he was cast after throwing three or four bombs of about 65 yards on the Disney lot is met with disbelief. — Bill Simmons
How many NFL quarterbacks can throw 65 yards is debated, with Mahomes, Cam Newton, Rivers and Brees discussed, and a spin-off segment proposed.

Back to the Future The Rewatchables May 19, 2020

Back to the Future

Casting What-Ifs

Eric Stoltz filmed five weeks as Marty before Michael J. Fox replaced him

In the discussion (8)

Approx. transcript time · 00:25:52Read transcript

Michael J. Fox was initially unavailable because Family Ties needed him while Meredith Baxter Birney was absent — Bill Simmons
Eric Stoltz filmed for five weeks but was judged too dramatic, insufficiently comic, and unconvincing on a skateboard — Bill Simmons
The studio approved spending another $3 million to replace Stoltz and reshoot with Fox — Bill Simmons
Stoltz continued filming temporarily after the replacement decision while the production secured Fox — Bill Simmons
Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson are quoted describing Stoltz as talented but too intense for the needed comedy — Bill Simmons
Johnny Depp, Charlie Sheen, John Cusack, Ralph Macchio, and C. Thomas Howell were also considered or auditioned — Bill Simmons
John Cusack is judged a plausible alternate because he could balance comedy, drama, awkwardness, and charm — Sean Fennessey
Fox’s athletic physical comedy is credited as essential to the final performance — Bill Simmons

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood The Rewatchables February 6, 2020

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Recasting Couch

Jack Nicholson in the Bruce Dern role; Jude Law and Matt Damon as the leads

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:00:56Read transcript

Jack Nicholson in the Bruce Dern part would have been amazing, though he would not have done it; it is called a great call. — Bill Simmons
A game of replacing Brad and Leo: Ben and Matt (height difference), Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr. (with a joke about cancel standings), and Jude Law and Matt Damon, which is welcomed.
Flipping the roles would not be as good, since Leo is less physically imposing as Cliff.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Gerard Butler is mocked, and Downey with Clooney is rejected as too old.