Never- before-seen photos reveal that the real-life James “Whitey” Bulger was not a fan of Johnny Depp’s critically acclaimed 2015 Bulger biopic, “Black Mass,” depicting his crime story.
A guy described as “one step removed from the prisoner who was Bulger’s protector in jail” has offered up the pictures to LA-based memorabilia dealer Moments in Time, which will sell the 22 photos with convicted mobster and murderer Bulger’s inscriptions for $24,000. A couple of the photos are of Depp as Bulger in the film.
“Johnnie [sic] Depp on set with his girlfriend playing me on an anti Whitey movie put together by 2 reporters from the Boston Globe,” Bulger wrote. “Many years ago, shot up the building with a 12 ga pump shot gun . . . This movie is pure fiction!” he wrote and signed with his prison number 1428A.
We’re told Depp used to send Bulger letters in prison, but the mobster would tear them up.
“I made a request to meet with Mr. Bulger, and since he was not particularly a great fan of the book . . . and many of the other books written about him, I got a beautiful response through his attorney that said, ‘Mr. Bulger respectfully declines,’ ” Depp said when he was promoting the film last year.
But Bulger did marvel at Depp’s striking resemblance to him in another photo from the set.
“Johnny Depp all made up in movie about me. Once I looked just like he does now in the movie. This movie started out way back in ’94 or ’93. I was paying two FBI agents for information about a case involving me. Any info on people quoting info to [the] Office of FBI Organized Crime investigation of me and criminal associates,” he wrote. “This went on for years. We got information and they got money.”
The notorious fugitive, who was finally captured in 2011 after 16 years on the run, also kept photos from his early days at now-defunct federal prison Alcatraz Island.
“My Alcatraz Photo — like classbook pictures! One of American Crime Schools,” he inscribed.