Celebrity round-up: Compliments from Johnny Depp's co-stars, past and (possibly) future

We’ve noticed quite a few recent compliments coming Johnny Depp’s way from other actors with whom he’s worked . . . and from one lovely young actress who hopes to work with him. Freddie Highmore, who acted with Johnny in FINDING NEVERLAND and CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, is out promoting his new film AUGUST RUSH, and he had this to say in an interview with Will Lawrence of The Telegraph: “Johnny’s a mate, a real first-rate guy. We became friends on NEVERLAND, and we still email and text. He’s so normal–he says hello to everyone on set, from the director to the tea lady.” Freddie adds that Johnny always treated him “like an adult” and says, “That was really important for me.” Freddie was only ten when they filmed FINDING NEVERLAND.

In the December 2007 TOTAL FILM, another FINDING NEVERLAND co-star, Dustin Hoffman, is asked this question: “Your generation of actors is possibly the greatest. Is it a quirk of fate? The training? The roles?” Dustin Hoffman replies, “One of the critical differences is that many of us came from the stage. We had a sense of craft: breaking down a character, breaking down a scene. We studied. But there are some wonderful actors today who did not come from the experience we came from. Let’s see . . . Johnny Depp and DiCaprio. They were getting jobs as they grew up and yet somehow they retained a sense of their own truth.”

Jamie Campbell Bower has his first major movie role as Anthony Hope in the upcoming SWEENEY TODD. He tells Adam Baer of the Los Angeles Times how nervous he was on the first day of shooting: “Tim [Burton] helped a lot and is a very relaxed director, though I was terribly nervous–and Johnny was great too. On the first day of shooting, I was standing with him on a boat in the middle of the studio. And I’m like, ‘Is this actually happening? Am I here?’ Now, Johnny can tell I’m a wreck. I’m shaking while there’s this huge fan blowing our hair wild. But then he leans over and says, ‘Jamie, that’s our biggest fan.’ It was a great way to break the tension.”

SIN CITY actress Jessica Alba hasn’t had the chance to work with Johnny Depp yet, but she’s hoping to have the opportunity. In an appearance on MTV’s TRL, she was asked if the rumors that Johnny might appear in a SIN CITY sequel are true. “I don’t know,” Ms. Alba replied. “I sure hope so!” She told the audience, “I have a huge crush on him. When I saw him at the Golden Globes I made eye contact with him, and got all flustered.” She confided, “Of all the men in the business, he is my favorite.”

The Zone thanks Emma and Gilbert’s Girl for contributing articles on Johnny’s co-stars. –Part-Time Poet