Johnny Depp looks unrecognizable as a silver fox in comeback movie ‘Day Drinker’

Johnny Depp has undergone a striking transformation for his return to Hollywood. Lionsgate revealed on Monday that filming had begun on the Marc Webb-directed thriller “Day Drinker,” sharing a photo of Depp on set holding a drink. The 61-year-old “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor sported a completely different look with a gray beard and blue contact lenses replacing his usual dark brown eyes, along with a full salt-and-pepper hairstyle.

While Depp had a role in the French historical drama “Jeanne du Barry” in 2023, this new film is his first major movie from a major distributor since the 2018 “Harry Potter” spinoff “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.” In “Day Drinker,” he plays a mysterious guest on a private yacht who forms an unexpected bond with a grieving bartender, portrayed by Madelyn Cline. The plot thickens as they get involved with a criminal character played by Penélope Cruz, Depp’s longstanding collaborator from previous films like “Blow,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” and “Murder on the Orient Express.”

Depp had taken a step back from Hollywood during a highly publicized legal battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard in 2022. Although he won the defamation case against Heard, who had accused him of domestic abuse, she also won one defamation counterclaim. Despite the legal drama, they settled, with Heard paying Depp $1 million that he donated to charity.

Having shifted gears to a quieter life in London, Depp is now focused on his health and well-being, enjoying painting and music with a close circle of friends. He is gearing up to make a return to the big screen with “Day Drinker,” which is slated for release next year.