Have you been wondering if Johnny Depp can speak Spanish? You’re not the only one. The famous actor and Sexiest Man Alive has an accent that’s unusual and Depp has been known to speak more than just one language.
No, Johnny Depp can’t speak Spanish. Depp has certainly spent his time around the Spanish language, both in films and in his personal life, but he has never been able to add speaking Spanish to his impressive list of skills.
Although Johnny Depp has tried at many points over the years to speak Spanish—and he’s certainly able to do so to some capacity, he certainly isn’t fluent in the Spanish language.
A Little Spanish Here, A Little Spanish There
Most recently, Johnny Depp would have been exposed to the Spanish language through his ex-wife, Amber Heard. She grew up in Texas but was trilingual—and was fluent in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language.
Prior to that, Depp was cast in the movie Rango. The 2011 movie features a chameleon (played by Depp) who becomes stranded in a desert before meeting a group of animals before ending up in an Old West town.
For the role, Depp’s Spanish speaking parts were actually covered by a Mexican voice-over actor, Ricardo Tejedo. Tejedo has been known to cover the Spanish voice for both Ben Stiller and Brad Pitt, and has also covered Depp’s voice in the Spanish dubbed versions of Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland, and Chocolat.
When Depp was asked about his Spanish speaking skills for the role, he said they were barely there and that he was only capable of one Spanish sentence.
A Bilingual Actor
If you’ve thought that Depp was capable of speaking more than just English, you’re absolutely right. The Hollywood actor has spent a significant period of the past few decades living in many areas of the world, including France.
After a lengthy relationship with French actress, model, and singer, Vanessa Paradis, Depp has been known to have worked on his French speaking skills—a process that would last more than 20 years.
Depp has two children with Paradis, and as they grew up speaking French with their mother, Depp had to learn the language as well to be able to communicate with them.
A Missed Opportunity en Español
In 2009, Johnny Depp was cast for the biopic, Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman with Six Fingers. He was to play the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa and Salma Hayek would be a co-star.
Shortly after being casted, Depp was told that he had two years to learn Spanish.
However, when all was said and done, conflicts prevented Depp from being in the film at all. Due to an issue in scheduling, Depp dropped out of the project meaning that perhaps his one shot at learning Spanish came to an end.
He Does Know a Little of the Spanish Language
In 2011, Depp was joined by Penelope Cruz for one of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. The two had worked together previously in the 2001 movie Blow and had apparently formed a pretty good friendship.
While preparing for Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides, the two conducted an interview in a Spanish speaking country. When asked if Cruz had taught Depp any Spanish during their time working together, he replied that she had—but that it was too raunchy and foul to repeat in public.
So, Johnny Depp may know a few Spanish phrases here and there, and obviously one that he can’t really share with anyone, but he isn’t capable of speaking Spanish fluently. But, as we’ve learned with the actor, he’s relatively unpredictable and seemingly unstoppable.
So, one day he may be able to hablé en español perfectly.