1984–1989: Jonny Depp's Early roles and 21 Jump Street

Depp moved to Los Angeles with his band when he was 20. After the band split up, Depp's then-wife Lori Ann Allison introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage

After they became drinking buddies, Cage advised him to pursue acting.

Depp had been interested in acting since reading a biography of James Dean and watching Rebel Without a Cause

Depp, who had no prior acting experience, claimed he "ended up acting by accident" after Cage assisted him in getting an audition with Wes Craven for A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Depp was cast in the role of the main character's boyfriend, one of Freddy Krueger's victims, in part because he caught the attention of Craven's daughter.

Depp continued to be cast in movies despite declaring he "didn't have any desire to be an actor," earning enough money to pay some bills that his music career had left unpaid.

Depp was originally set to play the lead in the 1986 skating drama Thrashin' by the movie's director after appearing in the 1985 comedy Private Resort, but the movie's producer overruled the choice.

Instead, Depp played a Vietnamese-speaking private in a small supporting role in Oliver Stone's Vietnam War drama Platoon from 1986. At the end of the 1980s, he rose to teen idol status.

when he appeared in the 1987 Fox television series 21 Jump Street as an undercover police officer participating in a high school operation.

In order to work with the actor Frederic Forrest, who had inspired him, he took on this role. Depp believed that the series "forced him into the role of product" despite his success.