"He's really hot in a really (messed) up way," said thoughtful fan Stephanie Brehmer, 25.
The Oshkosh woman and her sister, Beth Mueller, chatted last week with friends at the Otter Street Fisheree, unabashedly gushing about the 43-year-old actor and sharing excitement over the possibility that he and fellow heartthrob Christian Bale could soon be visiting Oshkosh if it's confirmed that Universal Pictures' "Public Enemies" will shoot scenes downtown this spring.
"He's so skinny now, though. But he acclimates to every character really well," Brehmer said, trying to put a finger on just where Depp's star power stems from.
Sister Beth Mueller, 24, interjected simply, "He's just hot. And it's probably the fact that he can do completely different movies – crazy parts. He's, like, the only actor that can do that."
Star struck
Johnny Depp fever has been building in Oshkosh and Wisconsin since January, when word first leaked out that production scout Robert Medcraft had toured the First National Bank Building, Grand Opera House and Oshkosh Northwestern as potential sites for filming "Public Enemies" bank robbery scenes. The city and the nation will know in a few weeks whether Oshkosh will be one of several Wisconsin spots to see film crews lining the streets.
Julie Schaus said if she ever got the chance to meet Depp face to face, the Fond du Lac resident and overtly enthusiastic fan probably would just blush, giggle and be too shy to take his picture.
Though she wouldn't call herself a would-be stalker, Schaus, a friend of Mueller and Brehmer's, says she plasters pictures of the actor around her desk at work.
"I get giddy. I don't know, I act like a little kid, and my friends get a good kick out of it," she said. "I keep telling everyone, 'this is my year,' because the chances of him coming anywhere around here to film a movie are just rare."
Where Depp may be seen as manically unconventional, in real life and onscreen, it's only served to fuel his appeal with diehard fans like Schaus and those of the teenage- to middle-age persuasion, local film experts say.
UW-Oshkosh Radio, TV and Film professor Doug Heil said people have always been drawn to actors who embody that provocative, bad-boy persona. "Johnny Depp's appeal also draws from the quality of being 'dangerous' … on multiple levels," Heil said.
"He gravitates toward 'dangerous' filmmakers – people like Tim Burton, Jim Jarmusch, Terry Gilliam and Robert Rodriguez – who take chances with their work."
The actor's also known for boldly tackling non-prescriptive roles like Willy Wonka, Capt. Jack and the recent Sweeney Todd.
"He opts for characters burdened with internal conflict, where baggage and demons bottled up inside waylay the goals being pursued," Heil said. "Most of us have our own baggage we're sorting through, so his characters resonate with us."
Merlaine Angwall, a 10-year UW-Oshkosh acting and directing professor, said it isn't just about mysterious good looks, though that helps in Hollywood. "Certain stars or actors, they get to be great because they really are talented and do possess an ability to act – unlike Paris Hilton who's famous for no reason," she said.
"People like them because they believe them in roles they play."
The whole package is a recipe for hotness, and Oshkosh fans going gaga for the male cast of the Depression-era "Public Enemies" say they'd stake a manhunt downtown if only to catch a glimpse of bank robber "John Dillinger" (Depp) and FBI agent "Melvin Purvis" (Bale).
"They are two really great examples – two actors who enjoy their craft and really work at it," Angwall said of the heartthrob factor. "They are not lightweights."
Local pandemonium?
That Depp and Bale instantly give "Public Enemies" a certain recognition likely means with a film crew it could bring paparazzi, national media and obsessed fans to wherever filming goes down.
"You're going to have the crazy ones come out, clearly you will," Schaus said. "But I just think it's a great opportunity, very exciting for Wisconsin and extremely exciting for me."
Oshkosh's Brehmer said, if the film comes to Oshkosh she'll be downtown in a heartbeat.
"I've always wanted to be an actor, but it didn't work out," she said. "So if I could be an extra in the movie …"
Whether the flick's big names excite fans, or it's simply the realization that Oshkosh would play a role in a major movie, residents say it's about time the film industry looked to Oshkosh — and Wisconsin — as a potential location.
Oshkosh resident Barb Duvall, 39, admits she's not a huge Depp fan. "I know everybody is, but … I still think it's really cool that they want to do a movie in Oshkosh; I would definitely come out to watch."
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle confirmed last month to The Associated Press that NBC Universal committed to Wisconsin as a scene for parts of the film, with Depp playing the robber whose Midwest crime spree ended when FBI agents shot him to death in Chicago in 1934. It's the first major production to come to Wisconsin since tax incentives for the film industry took effect Jan. 1.
Universal Studios' presence in locations like Oshkosh, Madison and La Crosse searching for vintage 1930s cars to feature onscreen also has upped curiosity and excitement over "Public Enemies," which could translate to big box-office success in the Midwest upon its 2009 release.
"They always do movies about Wisconsin, but never in it," Mueller said. "There's some really pretty spots here, so why not?"
Depp and Bale: The stats
Source: The Internet Movie Database (www.IMDb.com).
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