What does Johnny Depp do in the movie Platoon? Are there other films where actors do next to nothing and are billed as co-stars? | Notes and Queries (2024)

What does Johnny Depp do in the movie Platoon? Are there other films where actors do next to nothing and are billed as co-stars? | Notes and Queries (1)
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Semantic enigmasWhat does Johnny Depp do in the movie Platoon? Are there other films where actors do next to nothing and are billed as co-stars? | Notes and Queries (4)
The body beautifulWhat does Johnny Depp do in the movie Platoon? Are there other films where actors do next to nothing and are billed as co-stars? | Notes and Queries (5)
Red tape, white liesWhat does Johnny Depp do in the movie Platoon? Are there other films where actors do next to nothing and are billed as co-stars? | Notes and Queries (6)
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This sceptred isleWhat does Johnny Depp do in the movie Platoon? Are there other films where actors do next to nothing and are billed as co-stars? | Notes and Queries (8)
Root of all evilWhat does Johnny Depp do in the movie Platoon? Are there other films where actors do next to nothing and are billed as co-stars? | Notes and Queries (9)
Ethical conundrumsWhat does Johnny Depp do in the movie Platoon? Are there other films where actors do next to nothing and are billed as co-stars? | Notes and Queries (10)
This sporting lifeWhat does Johnny Depp do in the movie Platoon? Are there other films where actors do next to nothing and are billed as co-stars? | Notes and Queries (11)
Stage and screenWhat does Johnny Depp do in the movie Platoon? Are there other films where actors do next to nothing and are billed as co-stars? | Notes and Queries (12)
Birds and the beesWhat does Johnny Depp do in the movie Platoon? Are there other films where actors do next to nothing and are billed as co-stars? | Notes and Queries (13)
STAGE AND SCREEN

What does Johnny Depp do in the movie Platoon? Are there other films where actors do next to nothing and are billed as co-stars?

  • JOHNNY DEPP originally had a larger part in Oliver Stone's Platoon (before his run on the TV series, 21 Jump Street) as the translator Lerner, but much of the material he shot was cut from the finished film, including two major dialogue scenes with Willem Dafoe. He features in the background to several early scenes and is the centre of just one scene where he is working as a translator. Next time we see him, Depp is wounded and is unceremoniously put on a US Army helicopter, presumably to die off screen. He was the victim of Stone's ruthless editing - not the only one, but he probably came off worst among all the cast. It is not uncommon for performers early in their career to have very small roles in big films, but they are not usually credited as co-stars. Depp is 11th in the Platoon cast, and it's only after his career took off that people took note of his earlier roles (especially his larger part in Wes Craven's original A Nightmare on Elm Street).

    Brian J. Robb (author: Johnny Depp, A Modern Rebel), Edinburgh (brian@centimes.demon.co.uk)

  • When a famous person plays a tiny part, he or she will often get disproportionate billing; examples include Gerard Depardieu in Kenneth Branagh's 'Hamlet' or Sting in 'The Adventures of Baron Munchausen', both of whom get pre-title billing for just turning up. It can also happen that a film is re-released after one of its bit-players becomes famous; witness Woody Allen's 'Bananas', billboards for which often mention Sylvester Stallone's walk-on as a mugger.

    David Cottis, London

  • See also Kevin Costner in The Big Chill - his scenes were left on the cutting room floor (he played the dead guy). Also Amanda de Cadenet is credited as appearing in The Rachel Papers but was actually performing off set as a 'friend' of the producer.

    Jo Nadin, Peckham, London, UK

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What does Johnny Depp do in the movie Platoon? Are there other films where actors do next to nothing and are billed as co-stars? |  Notes and Queries (2024)

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What does Johnny Depp do in the movie Platoon? Are there other films where actors do next to nothing and are billed as co-stars? | Notes and Queries? ›

He features in the background to several early scenes and is the centre of just one scene where he is working as a translator.

What was the point of the movie Platoon? ›

Barnes embraces his role in what he describes as “the machine.” Screenshot from Platoon. Elias and Barnes are just two extremes of a spectrum on which everyone falls. Even that, perhaps, is an oversimplification. The point of the film is not the tug of war between good and evil but the nature of war itself.

How old was Johnny Depp when he starred in Platoon? ›

As for then-rising star Depp, who was 22 at the time, Stone knew he was going to be a star. “He was a great looking kid. He was considered for other roles, but I didn't think he was quite ready at that time to play Charlie's role,” the famed director recalled to EW.

Was Platoon based on a true story? ›

Stone based the movie on his own experiences as a volunteer in the Vietnam War. He won a BAFTA award, a Golden Globe, and an Oscar for his direction, and he was awarded the Silver Bear for best director at the Berlin International Film Festival.

What is Johnny Depp doing now? ›

“Johnny is in a good place,” an insider says, noting that the father of two — he shares Lily-Rose, 24, and Jack, 22, with ex Vanessa Paradis — is spending most of his time in the U.K. these days. “He really feels at home in London. He's happy and busy. There's been a weight lifted.”

What happens to Johnny Depp's character in Platoon? ›

He features in the background to several early scenes and is the centre of just one scene where he is working as a translator. Next time we see him, Depp is wounded and is unceremoniously put on a US Army helicopter, presumably to die off screen.

What is the purpose of a Platoon? ›

The platoon could be assigned to provide general fire support for the battalion as a whole, during which one of the messengers would be assigned to the battalion command post, or be attached to a rifle company to provide additional firepower, during which the messenger would be assigned to the rifle company's commander ...

What did Vietnam vets think of Platoon? ›

"Platoon" is excellent in capturing how we Americans saw the people of Indochina. I did my share of passing out candy to kids, digging wells in the dry season and visiting church missions but out troops dehumanized them among ourselves with racist remarks like gooks, dinks, slopes.

Why was Platoon controversial? ›

One of Platoon's most controversial elements was the depiction of US soldiers meting out wanton violence on native populations and often murdering innocent Vietnamese civilians.

How old was Willem Dafoe in Platoon? ›

Willem Dafoe was born in 1955 and Platoon was filmed and released in 1986, so 31 years old.

What ethnicity is Johnny Depp? ›

Depp and Allison divorced in 1985. Depp is of primarily English descent, with some French, German, Irish and African American ancestry. Elizabeth Key Grinstead, one of the first African Americans in the North American colonies to sue for her freedom and win, is an eighth great-grandmother.

Who is playing Jack Sparrow in the new Pirates of the Caribbean 6? ›

If Jack Sparrow is a character in upcoming Pirates movies, he will likely be played by Johnny Depp. While there are spinoffs in development, those seem to be for non-Jack Sparrow-focused projects. There has been no sign of recasting the role as of yet.

What did Disney offer Johnny Depp? ›

Johnny Depp Accepts Disney's $301 Million Offer For Pirates Of The Caribbean 6, Set To Release In 2025? [Fact Check] - IMDb.

What is the central conflict in the movie Platoon? ›

In the movie "Platoon," the conflict between Barnes and Elias reaches its climax in their final scene together when Barnes fatally wounds Elias during a chaotic battle. The conflict revolves around Barnes' ruthless and brutal approach to warfare, which clashes with Elias' more humane and moral stance.

Why did Barnes shoot Elias? ›

Barnes is later charged with war crimes, and he becomes paranoid that Elias will testify against him, so he sends the platoon on a mission out in the jungle, where he finds Elias alone, ambushes him, before gunning him down in cold blood. Barnes then returns and tells the others that Elias was killed by the enemy.

Why did they burn the village in Platoon? ›

Burning down the entire village on the other hand was a scheme, which was meant to burn the bodies of the people killed so that no one will have a clear count of the damage done. This was aimed at concealing evidence of the killings (Oliver 98).

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