If you grew up under the spell of Captain Jack Sparrow you will probably  find it difficult to believe that, back in 1990s, Johnny Depp was the muse of independent filmmakers both stateside and abroad, and a regular Cannes fixture – in competition, not to promote some massive blockbuster. Our multi-nominated and Best Actor Golden Globe winner was in Cannes twice with (a young, bold) Tim Burton, in 1990 for Edward Scissorhands and in 1994 for Ed Wood – nominated for a Palme d’Or and responsible for the most coveted promotional item on the Croisette, that year: a black t-shirt with ‘Mon prochain film sera meilleur’ (‘My next film will be bettter’) inscribed in giant pink letters.  1993 sees Depp in Cannes as the star of Serbian director (and Cannes powerhouse) Emir Kusturica’s Arizona Dream. Kusturica already had one Palme d’Or (1985, granted unanimously, for When Father Was Away on Business) and one best director prize (1989, for Time of the Gipsies) and would still win another Palme (1995, for Underground) and a couple more nominations. Two years after, in 1995, Depp would be back in Cannes as the star of the Palme d’Or nominee Dead Man, directed by Jim Jarmusch. In 1997 Depp achieved Cannes nobility  status- he got a Palme nomination on his own, as the director of The Brave.