A Nightmare on Elm Street star Heather Langenkamp comments on what it was like to work with Johnny Depp on the film, revealing that she wasn’t sure if he enjoyed acting. Released in 1984, A Nightmare on Elm Street is directed by horror master Wes Craven, following a group of teens who become the targets of a disturbing killer who has the ability to murder them in their nightmares. Langenkamp starred as Nancy in the film, with Depp playing her boyfriend, Glen.

In a recent interview with Michael Rosenbaum on his Inside of You podcast, Langenkamp reflects on her time with Depp while filming A Nightmare on Elm Street.

According to the actor, Depp didn’t seem particularly affectionate toward the role or acting in general. Check out Langenkamp’s full comment below:

“I could not tell if he liked acting or not because he seemed kinda tortured by it, the pressure of… I know that he really worked hard to be Glen. He worked very hard on this part. So I couldn’t tell if he was enjoying himself frankly because he was always so dedicated and serious. We all joked around and cracked smiles and stuff.

“He was a musician, he was a guitar player in a band, I thought, ‘Oh, he’s just going to go back to that.’ … I thought, ‘He’ll give this up, this won’t keep him satisfied or fulfilled.’ If you’re a great musician, you’re not going to turn it all in for acting.”

How A Nightmare On Elm Street Launched Johnny Depp’s Career

Depp, despite his recent controversies, remains one of the most well-known Hollywood actors, delighting audiences with his work in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, the Fantastic Beasts franchise, his many collaborations with Tim Burton, and a host of other projects stretching back almost four decades.

Although he doesn’t play the starring role in A Nightmare on Elm Street, the movie remains one of Depp’s most significant films, if only because it is his first. After working with Craven, Depp would continue to act regularly, appearing for a few years in some shorts and TV movies before landing a role in Platoon, the seminal Vietnam War drama from acclaimed filmmaker Oliver Stone. It was in 1990, however, that one of Depp’s most important creative collaborations began.

In 1990, Depp worked with Burton on Edwards Scissorhands, and the two creatives evidently enjoyed the experience because they would collaborate in the subsequent yeras on movies like Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and a host of others. In addition to Depp’s work with Burton, the actor would also star in classics like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. While Langenkamp may not have been sure while filming A Nightmare on Elm Street whether Depp and acting were a good combo, it’s evidently for the best that he stuck with it.