Johnny Depp just an overgrown teen?

[HMG] – About an hour from Belgrade, in the heart of the Serbian mountains lies one of Eastern Europe’s most wonderful gems. Kustendorf. A town built from scratch by a film director with vision. And this week it starred Johnny Depp.

The 46-year old actor arrived in this picturesque town in the heart of the Balkans, by helicopter. An event regarded by locals [who clearly don't get out much] with the kind of awe most folk would reserve for the second coming itself.

He emerged from the craft and mingled with fans, showing no hint of a ‘superstar’ ego, and was greeted in return like a conquering hero.

Every year, Kustendorf holds a film festival, dedicated to ‘Small people and their small films.’ In 1993, Johnny starred in ‘Arizona Dream,’ whose director – Emir Kusturica – has since built this town. He”s now due to play the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa in an all-Spanish language film the Director is writing. Both men needed to debate the film’s course, so Depp came to town.

“My impressions of Kustendorf?” Johnny replied to reporters.”I was totally shocked. I couldn’t imagine that a place so magical and beautiful could house a film festival,” he said at a ceremony where, in a blaze of fireworks and badly-tuned music the festival’s directors unveiled a life-size statue of him.

And this festival’s nothing like Cannes – Distributors, financiers and publicists are banned, there’s a concert each night, and the locals make a concoction called ‘Serbian Death Wine’ that’s so mind-crushingly strong, most events don’t even start until well after noon.

For his part, Johnny held a masterclass for young filmmakers, indulged all the press and cordially schmoozed with the fans…whom he’s never forgotten;

“The only reason we’re here is because of the people out there who want to have a piece of paper signed or to go to the cinema,” he reminded the crowd.

Asked by a fan about his favorite directors, Johnny didn’t blink: Tim Burton, Jim Jarmusch and Kusturica himself – all guys with ideas as offbeat as his own.

“They are very, very different in their style, but they’re also very similar.” he told the admirer. There isn’t a bone in any of their bodies that is capable of compromise.”

But one director absent from this year’s proceedings was Roman Polanski, with whom JD made the 1999 thriller, ‘The Ninth Gate.’ And Johnny was clearly upset by the reasons;

“Obviously, there is something going. Somebody has made a deal. Roman is not a predator; He’s 76-years old, with two beautiful kids and a wife he’s been with a long time. He’s not out on the street…so why now?”

Next, he was asked how he achieves the style that wins so much praise – and awards?

“When I read a script, I start to get flashes of imagery. It may be someone I’ve known. That’s really it. If I am guilty of one thing in my work, it’s that I have a tendency to lean towards humor.”

And his old friend, Kusturica still seems very impressed;

“You can be the best actor in the world and if you’re a jerk, you’re still a jerk.” he told  the Independent. “Johnny showed me you can have decency and goodness together.” he opined.

An accurate review. So how does Depp do it? His own simple assessment? H’s a stalled teenager;

“There is a part of me that feels like I arrested development at 17,” he confesses. “At 17, you were a man. Everything in life was before you…but you couldn’t get in too much trouble…I have a feeling that at 17 I somehow locked off and stayed there.”

You can see this engaging teenager in his latest reunion with that perpetual adolescent, Tim Burton, when Alice in Wonderland opens on March 5…