by Johnny Depp has had an illustrious acting career spanning over three decades, taking on some of the most eccentric and iconic roles in cinema. From Edward Scissorhands to Captain Jack Sparrow, Depp has continuously wowed audiences with his chameleonic talents and fearless choices. However, of all the daring acting challenges he has undertaken, Depp names one particularly bizarre scene as the “strangest” he has ever filmed – the unforgettable scorpion-eating sequence in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas stars Depp as Raoul Duke, Thompson’s alter ego, who goes on a psychedelic rampage through Las Vegas with his attorney Dr Gonzo, played by Benicio del Toro. Directed by Terry Gilliam, the film is a mind-bending fever dream, chock-full of surreal imagery and drug-fuelled escapades. In one memorable scene, Duke and Gonzo get high on mescaline and ether before pulling over at the side of a desert highway to eat a bowl full of live scorpions.
In a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Depp reflected on how unsettling it was to actually perform the scene: “It was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen or done, eating live scorpions; big ones. That was intense. It didn’t sit right. Very foul.” He described how the scorpions were still crawling around when placed in the bowl, making noises when bitten into and popped. While considering it a formative experience, Depp concluded, “I don’t know that I’d want to repeat that.”
Preparing for the squeamish scene required an extra level of fearlessness from Depp. In the behind-the-scenes footage, we see Depp and del Toro casually munching away on giant emperor scorpions plucked wriggling from a tank. The actors bravely chomp down as the armour-plated critters crack unsettlingly between their teeth, legs still scrambling. Depp distorts his face queasily through mouthfuls, washing it down with swigs of liquor in between. Their nonchalance and commitment to realistically portraying the book’s gonzo events is striking.
The making of the scene was apparently even gorier than what made the final edit. Depp revealed it took several takes to get right, and many scorpions were harmed in the process: “Unfortunately, there were multiple times we had to eat them because they needed more takes for certain angles and stuff like that. It was ridiculous.” For Depp, whose character was meant to be under the influence of psychedelics and ether at the time, the experience of consuming live scorpions blurred his sense of reality: “You totally lose your mind. I don’t know about you but, when I lose my mind, it’s a frightful place to be. The more you lose it, the more you lose it.”
In the finished film, Depp’s convincing portrayal of Duke’s altered state during the scene horrifies yet captivates. We cringe as Depp bites into the scorpions with morbid fascination, their dark forms bustling around his mouth, thoroughly inhabiting his character’s crazed headspace in those moments. It’s a scene that sticks in the minds of all who watch it – rightfully remembered as one of Depp’s “strangest” on-screen feats ever.
Over his many decades of daring cinematic experimentation, Depp has proven time and again his willingness to plunge into the deep end, even when it means putting his mental and physical comfort on the line. That raw, reckless commitment to his craft is evident in the scorpion scene, where Depp places absolute trust in Gilliam’s vision. Other than coming out of the experience mostly unscathed, Depp gained invaluable insight into what he is capable of as an actor. Looking back on the scene in 2018, he was able to appreciate it for the impact it had on him:
“I just wanted to make sure that I was able to do what he needed – and I wanted to be able to pull it off. I like to give everything a try at least once. That was a first and a last, I think.”
For Depp, that kind of daring is simply part of the job. In his own words: “You just have to be prepared to put yourself out there. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but you just have to be brave enough to try stuff.”
We can be glad he took the leap for Fear and Loathing’s scorpion scene, gifting us with a piece of genuine cinematic magic – and cementing his place as one of the boldest actors around.
