Talk about a Depp-arture.
Johnny Depp has traded “The Rum Diary” for day drinking in the first look at his new film “Day Drinker,” where he appears nearly unrecognizable.
With long salt-and-pepper hair pulled back, save for two long tendrils framing his face, a bushy grey beard, and what appears to be blue or green contact lenses (Depp has brown eyes), the “Pirates of the Carribean” star looks dramatically different than audiences are used to seeing him.
Depp also cuts a suave figure, dressed in a navy double-breasted suit and a blue French cuff button-down shirt worn without a necktie as he holds a cocktail and gazes ominously in the distance.
Helmed by “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “Snow White” director Marc Webb, “Day Drinker” co-stars 27-year-old “Outer Banks” star Madelyn Cline and reunites Depp, 61, with frequent collaborator Penélope Cruz. The pair have starred alongside one another in three previous films: “Blow,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “Murder on the Orient Express.”
Centered on a private-yacht bartender (Cline) who encounters a mysterious, onboard guest (Depp), “Day Drinker” follows the the duo as they soon find themselves caught up with a criminal figure (Cruz) and connected in ways no one saw coming.
“Day Drinker” is Depp’s most notable movie since the fallout from his highly publicized legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard. While he’s remained active in recent years — starring in the French historical drama “Jeanne du Barry” and directing film “Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness” — those projects skewed as more arthouse fare. By contrast, “Day Drinker” is Depp’s most commercial and studio-backed effort in years, signaling a change in fortune for the star.
In addition to releasing the first photo of Depp on Monday, movie studio Lionsgate announced four new cast members had come aboard the project: Manu Ríos, Arón Piper, Juan Diego Botto and Anika Boyle.
Ríos, 26, made a name for himself playing opposite Piper, 28, in the breakout Netflix series Élite. He also stars in another show for the streamer, “Breathless, which is expected to drop its second season soon, and acted alongside Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke in Pedro Almodóvar’s 2023 film “Strange Way of Life.”
Aside from Élite, Piper has appeared on shows such as “El Silencio” and “El Desorden Que Dejas.” Last year, Piper starred in the movie, “The Courier.”
Botto, 49, has appeared in a variety of films, including “The Room Next Door,” “En Los Márgenes” (“On the Fringe”), and “The Suicide Squad.” His television work spans series like “Good Behavior,” “White Lines,” and “I Don’t Like Driving.” He also wrote and performed the acclaimed solo stage production “Una Noche Sin Luna” (“A Moonless Night”).
Boyle originated the role of Alice Creel in the West End premiere of “Stranger Things: The First Shadow.” She stars as Violetta in the upcoming six-part drama “Summerwater” on Britain’s Channel 4. “Day Drinker” marks her first appearance in a feature film.
