Hollywood is a brutal industry where genuine friends are rarer than diamonds. But Rosie Perez thankfully found a great friend in Johnny Depp right when she was starting her career. The now 58-year-old actress had a great launch with Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing (1989), but for a couple of years after that, the actress wasn’t getting the roles she wanted. She had to do small bit roles that weren’t taking her career anywhere. This is where Johnny Depp stepped in and put her in contact with someone who understood what Perez was worth.
Johnny Depp Helped Rosie Perez In Her Initial Years
In a recent interview with Variety, Rosie Perez gushed about Johnny Depp. The two met on the TV series 21 Jump Street where Depp was starring as Officer Thomas Hanson Jr. and Perez was making just a cameo appearance as the girlfriend of a drug dealer. The actress talked about how the Pirates of the Caribbean star promised that he will tell people about her acting prowess. Perez said:
“My first scene, Johnny Depp whispered in my ear, ‘Oh, darling, you’re too good for this [expletive].’ Then he invited me to his trailer, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, my God, Johnny Depp’s invited me to his trailer.’ He’s on the phone, and he goes, ‘Yeah, yeah, she’s amazing. Her name is Rosie Perez. Hang on. Hey, Rosie – over here. Say hello to my girlfriend, Winona Ryder.’ And I fell over laughing. After, we talked seriously, and he said, ‘I’m gonna tell people about you. You know, you’re right for the good stuff.'”
The Birds of Prey star doesn’t know if Depp ever recommended her acting talents to anyone, but the encounter did give her enough wisdom to fire her agent because she was saying eyebrow-raising things to her. As per Perez, her agent said:
“She told me that if I dyed my hair blond and got a nose job, ‘I can get you more jobs. Because you’re not Black.’ I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness. Like, thank you, fired.'”
However, firing her agent didn’t give her the thrill of freedom she had expected. Instead, it brought her dread because she was new in Hollywood and had no contacts or money. Ultimately it was Jennifer Grey, her co-star on HBO’s Criminal Justice who helped her.
Grey put her in contact with celebrity representative Jane Berliner at CAA who in turn helped Perez bag one of the biggest roles of her career in White Men Can’t Jump. However, not everything panned out for Perez and sometimes it was her own fault like her not bagging Carrie-Anne Moss’ role in The Matrix.
Rosie Perez Auditioned For The Matrix
In the Variety interview, Rosie Perez said that she had auditioned for the role of the female lead in The Matrix, which ultimately went to Carrie-Anne Moss. The Flight Attendant actress said that she knew she had bombed the audition. In fact, it was apparently so bad that everyone ended up laughing.
Read More: Birds Of Prey Actress Recalls Advice From MCU’s Samuel L. Jackson
She said:
“I was horrible. As I was walking out, I was like, ‘I know I didn’t get the job. I really sucked,’ and the Wachowskis were like, ‘No,’ and the casting director was trying not to laugh and then finally I looked at her and I go, ‘I really sucked,’ and she just burst out laughing. We all were laughing. I just gave the Wachowskis a hug and I said, ‘Well, good luck with this.'”
But Perez, an Academy Award-nominated actress in Peter Weir’s Fearless, ultimately landed on her feet. Currently, she is busy with her new show Your Honor, where she’s starring opposite Bryan Cranston.
Your Honor is available to watch on Showtime.
Source: Variety
