9 Actors Who Begged For Their Movie Characters To Die

5. Johnny Depp - 21 Jump Street

Why He Wanted To Die

While it was a huge surprise when it happened, it always made sense that Johnny Depp would make a cameo appearance on the new 21 Jump Street (and to be fair, EW actually ruined the secret well before it got to the cinema for some). It was, after all, the TV show that made him famous and nostalgia is about the most valuable currency in Hollywood.

But when Jonah Hill approached him to appear, Depp said he'd only do it on two conditions. First, Peter DeLuise, who played officer Doug Penhall in the original show, had to be involved too. And second, his character had to be killed off. As screenwriter Michael Bacall revealed "He wanted closure. I had so much respect for that. It’s a brilliant idea that was absolutely not mine. It works fantastically.”

How It Happened

When the climactic drug deal between secret drug dealing PE teacher Mr Walters and his distributors goes south, it turns out that two of the gang are undercover DEA officers (Depp and DeLuise's characters), who reveal themselves as former Jump Street recruits and are swiftly killed off in the ensuing gun battle.