Inside Johnny Depp's '50k' curry night as he delights fans with Willy Wonka impressions

7 June 2022, 15:45 | Updated: 7 June 2022, 16:07

Johnny Depp entertains kids with Willy Wonka voice at restaurant in Birmingham

By Lauren Lewis

Johnny Depp delighted fans with Willy Wonka impressions after enjoying a '£50,000' curry night as he celebrated his lawsuit victory over his ex-wife Amber Heard in the UK.

The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory actor was caught on camera quoting lines from the iconic film including "morning star shine, the earth says hello!".

Video showed Depp speaking to a group of children, saying "you're really, really weird", followed by his Willy Wonka laugh.

Nells, who posted the footage on TikTok, said experience was and "amazing experience" and praised Depp for being "humble" and "down to earth".

She said: "He is the loveliest, nicest person ever... so softly spoken, he's so lovely. He took pictures with all of us and was really interactive with all of us, especially the little girls

"It was so nice just to see him chilled out and enjoying his dinner."

She added that Depp "enjoyed his curry" and urged viewers to visit Varanasi on Birmingham's Broad Street.

Depp has been touring around Britain with musician Jeff Beck and, along with 20 others, booked out Birmingham's Varanasi restaurant, where the 58-year-old enjoyed cocktails, curry and Rosé Champagne on Sunday night.

The owners of the curry house said Depp left a "large tip" after booking out the entire 300-cover venue last night. According to the Daily Mail the actor ran up a bill of £50,000.

Posted by Varanasi Birmingham on Monday, June 6, 2022

Read more: Sam Fender slammed for caving to 'woke mob' after apologising for Johnny Depp 'hero' selfie

Varanasi is considered one of the UK’s leading Indian restaurants and on a typical Saturday feeds over 400 diners, but Sunday's huge bill made the owners "more money than their busiest night of the week.

The group dined on a selection of shish kebabs, chicken tikka and tandoori king prawns, butter chicken, paneer tikka masala, lamb karahi and king prawn bhuna with Mr Depp opting to finish his meal with panna cotta and cheesecake.

Mohammed Hussain, Operations Director of Varanasi, told MailOnline how he had thought the request to book the venue was a "wind up" at first.

But he described the actor as "a very lovely, down to earth bloke who spent a lot of time speaking with the staff, our friends and family and was happy to pose for pictures with them".

Johnny Depp was caught on camera quoting lines from the iconic film including "morning star shine, the earth says hello!" and "you're really, really weird" followed by his Willy Wonka laugh.
Johnny Depp was caught on camera quoting lines from the iconic film including "morning star shine, the earth says hello!" and "you're really, really weird" followed by his Willy Wonka laugh. Picture: Instagram/Facebook

Read more: Johnny Depp 'splashes £50k' on curry in Birmingham as he celebrates Amber Heard court win

The 58-year-old actor has been spotted in a number of places around the UK since the end of his court case, surprising the public by popping into local pubs.

A huge £50,000 bill was presented to Mr Depp at the end of the night, who paid for it in full.

A jury found Ms Heard's 2018 article in the Washington Post about her experiences as a survivor of domestic abuse to be defamatory and awarded $10.35million (£8.2 million) in damages to Mr Depp.

Ms Heard won on one count of her counter-suit, successfully arguing Depp's press agent defamed her by claiming her allegations were "an abuse hoax" aimed at capitalising on the #MeToo movement.

The jury awarded her $2 million (£1.5 million) in damages.

The actor was not in court for the jury findings on Wednesday, and has instead been touring with musician Jeff Beck appearing at a host of UK dates.

Posted by Varanasi Birmingham on Monday, June 6, 2022

Read more: Family of British journalist missing in the Amazon urges action

Mr Beck is playing a concert at Symphony Hall in Birmingham on Monday night - and it is widely thought the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas star will once again be appearing on stage.

Mr Hussain said once Mr Depp had finished he spent time "hugging, kissing and having photos taken" with members of staff, and friends and family members of the restaurant bosses."

He was very humble, and he stayed to talk and greet everyone," added Mr Hussain."He met my three daughters and they made him give them a few one-liners from his movies."

Mr Hussain added: "He was really good with the children, but there was about 60 of us there and he didn't leave one person without hugging or kissing them, or shaking their hands.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime moment, really.

"Some of the staff were asking about the recent court case, but he was just smiling - it was a smile of relief."

Mr Hussain said: "They spent a lot of money, it's a big venue to hire out, but they never even looked at the bill."He gave a large tip."

Read more: Jamal Edwards died from a heart attack after taking drugs aged 31, mum Brenda reveals

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Police found the body of missing Cardiff woman Paria Veisi following the arrest of two individuals - one of whom was charged with murder.

Police find body of missing Cardiff woman Paria Veisi - as man charged with her murder

Murdered transgender teenager Brianna Ghey's school has banned mobile phones during the day in a move which has "reduced" pupils' stress levels, the headteacher said.

Murdered transgender teenager Brianna Ghey's school bans mobile phones to 'reduce' pupils' stress levels

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, second leg match at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain. Picture date: Wednesday April 16, 2025.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta vows to keep Liverpool waiting for title

Zelenskyy accuses Putin of violating 'Easter truce' following Russia's pledge to cease 'all military operations' in Ukraine

Zelenskyy accuses Putin of violating 'Easter truce' following Russia's pledge to cease 'all military operations'

FILE - Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel, on Oct. 27, 2024. (Gil Cohen-Magen/Pool Photo via AP, File)

'We will not surrender': Netanyahu insists Israel will continue Gaza war 'until Hamas are no longer able to control' strip

File photo dated 11/09/18 of models of a man and woman standing on a pile of coins and bank notes. More than a third (35%) of Gen-Z adults aged 18 to 21 worry about their finances every day, according to research for a major bank.

One third of 18 to 21-year-olds in the UK ‘worry about money every day’, study finds

Trans rights protestors deface Millicent Fawcett statue as thousands take to streets following Supreme Court ruling

Trans rights protestors deface Millicent Fawcett statue as thousands take to UK streets following Supreme Court ruling

Emergency services are at the scene of a multi-vehicle crash on the A1.

Personal trainer who caused A1 police crash 'drove to work two days later' despite having no license

Clodagh Rodgers, auch Cloda Rogers, Sängerin aus Nordirland, 1971 sang sie für Großbritannien beim Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, hier bei einem Auftritt, 1971. Clodagh Rodgers, aka Cloda Rogers, Singer from Northern Ireland, in 1971.

Eurovision star Clodagh Rodgers dies aged 78

Nicola Coughlan poses for photographers upon arrival at the BFI Flare Opening Gala for the film 'The Wedding Banquet' in London, Wednesday, March. 19, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Nicola Coughlan raises more than £100,000 for trans charity following trans gender ruling

Russia's President Vladimir Putin

Putin declares 'Easter truce' in Ukraine as Russia pledges to cease 'all military operations' until Monday

Croatian footballer Nikola Pokrivac

Tributes pour in as former Croatia international Nikola Pokrivac dies in horror car accident

Exclusive
Former Defence Sec Ben Wallace has slammed the White House

Trump is looking for an 'exit ramp' on Ukraine, Ben Wallace tells LBC, as he warns victory is getting further away

The scene on the A1 after a crash involving a number of police cars

Personal trainer on 'first date' admits dangerous driving in A1 crash with five police cars

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.

More than 90 people killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza in last 48 hours, Hamas-run health ministry says

Busy corridor in NHS hospital in England

How learning from Japan could be a 'game-changer' for the NHS