Johnny Depp tells Ebenezer’s young stars there’s ‘no such thing as a serious actor’
Johnny Depp’s Ebenezer co-stars share a left-field on-set lesson — and it’s a sharp peek at his mischievous approach to acting and creative work.
At the London premiere, real-life siblings Eva and Zac Wishart—who play Martha and Peter Cratchit—said working with Johnny Depp on Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol came with one piece of guidance they won’t forget.
“He gave us really good advice. He said there’s no such thing as a serious actor because it ’s an oxymoron,” the siblings told Deadline.
The Wisharts appear alongside Depp’s Scrooge in Paramount ’s darker, more supernatural spin on Dickens’ classic, which leans into eerie Victorian mood while keeping the redemption arc intact.
Who’s playing whom
- Johnny Depp — Ebenezer Scrooge
- Ian McKellen — Jacob Marley
- Rupert Grint — Bob Cratchit
- Andrea Riseborough — Ghost of Christmas Past
- Tramell Tillman — Ghost of Christmas Present
- Arthur Conti — Young Scrooge
- Daisy Ridley — role undisclosed
- Sam Claflin — role undisclosed
In this version, Scrooge’s bitterness is cracked open when Marley returns from the grave, setting off visits from the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future that push him to face what he’s done—and what still might be saved.
The film arrives under Paramount with a gothic streak; West, whose credits include Pearl and MaXXXine, is bringing a horror- tinged sensibility to the holiday staple.
Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol opens in theaters November 13.