In Johnny Depp's new film Black Mass, he plays the character of the infamous gangster James "Whitey" Bulger.
A private screening was set in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Tuesday for the said film that debuted in Toronto Film Festival last week. He told reporters of the preparation he had to do for the role, one is that Depp had to separate Bulger's public persona - as a feared mob boss in the Boston community - from the version of the man he depicted in the film.
"The first thing for me was to understand him first and foremost as a human being," the 52-year-old Depp told reporters.
"Anybody and everybody, especially the families of his victims, could say 'He's just an evil person.' I don't believe that exists. People have their humanity, everything they've carried with them since they were children. There's a side of James Bulger who is not just that man who was in that business."
According to People, part of his preparation also involved reaching out to Bulger, who has been in jail since his arrest in 2011.
"I made an attempt to contact Mr. Bulger only out of respect. It's his life, and I'm playing him onscreen," Depp explained, pointing out that getting in touch to Bulger is of essence, since it is crucial to capture the mob boss' character accurately. But the he was Bulger "respectfully declined" as told by his lawyer J. Carney - who in turn gave him "substantial help".
Depp also admitted being challenged to portray his role, "The most difficult thing is when you're dealing with a person who exists, and you know he's a man, and certainly a man of honor in regards to the people he loved," Depp said.
"The responsibility is to do the right thing by that person, no matter how good the person is deemed, no matter how bad the person is deemed. My responsibility was to do my best to represent... a human life."
Black Mass opens in theaters on Sept. 18.
