Actor Johnny Depp was once the highest-paid actor in Hollywood; it was hard to find a year in the 90s and 00s that didn’t have Depp involved. Now, the Hollywood landscape is altogether more Depp-less following years of domestic abuse disputes with his ex-wife Amber Heard–allegations that left both parties somewhat exiled from the big blockbuster movie biz.
So, while Disney may not be forking out $300 million to secure Depp for Pirates of the Caribbean 6, the House of Mouse did shell out circa $68 million for a seven-minute performance in the early days of their billion-dollar live-action franchise.
Johnny Depp and the big Disney payout
Back in 2010, Johnny Depp starred as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Depp ending the decade with Disney was not surprising; the actor had starred in the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies (The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest, At World’s End) between 2003 and 2007, spawning one of the most memorable characters, Captain Jack Sparrow, in cinematic history. The success of Depp’s character surprised even Disney.