Johnny Depp received instant stardom when he joined the acting industry, but he immediately inspired an actor even when he was still an indie baby.

Depp initially made his debut in the horror film "A Nightmare on Elm Street." Despite his notable performance, he had to wait for nearly three years before scoring a role in the 1987 TV series, "21 Jump Street."

The then-teen idol played the role of Officer Tom Hanson. In one of its episodes, titled "Awomp-Bomp-Aloobomb, Aloop Bamboom," Depp acted as the opposite of Shawn Levy's Lance. From that moment alone, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star immediately inspired his co-star to try a filmmaking career.

In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, the magazine detailed how the director became Ryan Reynolds' secret weapon. At that time same, Levy also presented his own ace card - Johnny Depp.

The filmmaker recalled telling the actor, "Hi, Mr. Depp. My name's Shawn Levy. I'm so excited to be here."

Depp's response then became a game-changer as it influenced him to go beyond being an actor.

"Welcome to the puppet show. You like to dance, puppet? Because that's what you do for a living now. Dance, puppet, dance," the "Fantastic Beasts" reportedly replied as he pretended to be a marionette.

From there, the director thought he wanted to direct and "hold the strings."

Only a few years later, Levy found himself directing his own movies, including "Cheaper by the Dozen," "The Pink Panther," and the hit "Night at the Museum" trilogy.

Johnny Depp Also Wanted to Grow More

While Levy tried his luck in filmmaking, Depp chose to expand his acting career even more by scoring interesting roles.

He famously appeared in "Edward Scissorhands" and became the main star in almost all Tim Burton movies like "Dark Shadows," Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Sleep Hollow," and "Alice Through the Looking Glass," to name a few.

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The actor grew further and helped franchises - "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Fantastic Beasts" - expand their network.

Although he lost his Captain Jack Sparrow and Gellert Grindelwald roles after losing his libel case in the UK courts, Depp is ready to get what he deserves by starting to appear in more movies again. After "Minamata," the actor is now set to portray King Louis XV's role in a currently untitled film by French filmmaker, Maiwenn.

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