Fart machine antics: Johnny Depp pranked Tramell Tillman and the 'Ebenezer' cast
Johnny Depp cops to pulling some truly juvenile pranks on his Ebenezer co-stars — and yes, the details are as cheeky as you’re hoping.
During an Entertainment Weekly “Around the Table” chat with his Ebenezer castmates, Johnny Depp got called out for an on‑set gag that’s very much his style: a pocket‑sized fart machine. After a little prompting from the group, Tramell Tillman admitted he fell for it more than once, which set Depp off on a gleeful breakdown of the device.
“The most brilliant invention of all time, which is kind of a little rubber thing you put in your pocket, you squeeze on it, and it makes the perfect, involuntary (noise),” he said.
The pranks didn’t spare the film ’s legends either. When Andrea Riseborough asked if he’d dare try it on Sir Ian McKellen —who plays Jacob Marley—Depp didn’t hesitate.
“I did it to Ian; I did it to everyone. Michael Gambon, Marlon Brando, I’ve used it on. No, if I find it funny, it’s fine,” he said.
A twisted take on Dickens
Depp leads this dark fantasy comedy as Ebenezer Scrooge, the original Christmas grouch, in a new spin on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The movie is directed by Ti West, known for bending genre in unexpected ways.
Early reception
There’s plenty of curiosity around the cast and tone, but on the review front the film is starting middling: as of now, Rotten Tomatoes has it at 53 percent—among the lower scores for major A Christmas Carol adaptations, though it edges past Disney ’s 2009 version, which sits at 52 percent.