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| Johnny Depp as Barnabas in Dark Shadows |
Frequent
collaborator Tim Burton adapted the film from the 1970s cult TV classic of the
same title. Johnny Depp recalls, “There was nothing like it, certainly not in
the daytime, with its vampires and ghosts and witches. I’ve always been attracted
to that genre, even as a very young kid, so when I got a hold of ‘Dark
Shadows,’ I didn’t let go.”
“Johnny
always puts 100 percent into everything he does, and I could tell right away he
had a passion for this,” says Burton. “I was excited to see where we could go
with the story, and I knew it would be a lot of fun.”
One
of the joys of working with Depp is the actor’s ability to push himself.
“Johnny is willing to try anything,” shares Burton. “He’s always coming up with
new things, which we both enjoy. So every time we work together is different,
and that’s what keeps it fun and fresh.”
Producer
Richard Zanuck observes, “Each collaboration between the two of them is quite
amazing—Tim comes up with these incredible ideas and Johnny translates them on
the screen. They know each other so well, Johnny can tell by Tim’s expression
whether he likes something, or Tim will say one or two things and Johnny will
immediately get what Tim wants.”
Makeup
artist Joel Harlow was responsible for transforming Depp into Barnabas, working
closely with the actor and Burton to form the character’s distinct visage. They
went through a number of makeup tests before finding the perfect pallor for the
undead but still strangely handsome personage. It required coat after coat of
customized grease paint to give Barnabas his chalky complexion. “When you saw
him on the set or in the monitor, he looked white,” says Harlow. “But there was
a vast number of colors in that makeup blend.” To contrast with the pale skin,
Harlow ringed Depp’s eyes with darker circles and hollowed out his cheeks to
make Barnabas look more cadaverous.
A
vampire’s most distinctive trait is his fangs, and Depp had several choices
with which to work. Harlow details, “We had some that were curved and others
that were straight, one short set and one longer one. We even had a set that
were more like rattlesnake fangs, which came down from behind the teeth. We
also had a set that were activated by the way Depp opened his mouth; the fangs
would drop down into place.”
Another
of Barnabas’ sharpest features were his pointed fingernails tipping elongated
fingers. Burton comments, “There was something about the fingers that was
important to me, just the way a vampire touches things. I think it also helped
with the emotional quality of the character’s expression.”
“Tim
wanted Barnabas to be ‘tactile,’” Harlow elaborates. “His hands sort of lead
the way, like they’re feeling things out. That may seem like a very easy thing
to do, but it’s actually quite complicated because it had to look slim and
seamless, but when you add anything to a finger, you’re adding bulk. It also
had to be rigid enough so they didn’t bend when he touches things, because that
would blow the illusion instantly.”
“The
hands really helped make the character,” notes Depp, “although I had to learn
how to touch things or pick things up about three inches from where my fingers
actually were. It took a little while but I got used to it, and it completed
the look.”
Graham
King says, “Johnny just dove into this role; you could see his commitment in
the hours and hours of hair and makeup he had to go through every day, as well
as in his performance. Barnabas says and does some pretty outlandish things,
but Johnny’s delivery is totally straight-faced as if it’s the most natural
thing in the world. No one does these kinds of characters better than he.”
“Dark Shadows” is distributed by
Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
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