Johnny Depp battled to stay afloat during Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales shoot

JOHNNY DEPP was on the brink of financial disaster while he was on the Gold Coast filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Johnny Depp's former business managers have countersued the actor, saying they frequently advised him that his spending was out of control. Photo: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP.

JOHNNY DEPP was on the brink of financial disaster while he was on the Gold Coast filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

In documents filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, the Hollywood star’s former business management company, The Management Group (TMG), claims the actor was on the verge of financial collapse for most of the 17 years it represented him.

STATE IN STOUSH OVER PIRATES BOOTY

TMG, which handled Depp’s finances from 1999 until early 2016, claims he still owes the company $US4.2 million including $US436,862.62 — its 5 per cent commission on an almost $US9 million part-payment Depp in July 2015 for his role on Pirates 5, filmed on the Gold Coast from February 2015 to July 2015.

Johnny Depp meets fans at Cleveland after a day filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Picture: Peter Wallis

The company is suing Depp for breach of contract and promissory fraud, asking the court for a declaration that “Depp is responsible for his own financial waste”.

The lawsuit claims Depp spends more than $US2 million a month maintaining his lavish lifestyle and has had to continually borrow millions of dollars to finance his extravagance.

His expenses allegedly included $75 million to buy and maintain 14 residences, $18 million spent on a luxury yacht and $US30,000 per month on wine.

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Picture: Disney.

He also spent heavily on family and friends, staff, travel on private jets and to cultivate collections of fine art and Hollywood memorabilia requiring 12 storage facilities to maintain, the lawsuit said.

“As a result of Depp’s uncontrolled spending which exceeded the net income he received from his films, Depp was forced to borrow large sums of money to fund a lifestyle that continued to become more and more extravagant over the years,” TMG claims.

“At the outset, his borrowing was in the form of advances from various movie studios, primarily Disney.”

Depp also entered into commercial loans over the years, primarily with City National Bank (CNB) and obtained several residential mortgages from CNB and First Republic Bank.

Kevin McNally and Johnny Depp on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

The documents claim the company had “hundreds” of meetings with Depp and Dembrowski during which Depp was urged to “substantially” curb his spending and sell various assets.

“When Depp was confronted by TMG or any of his other advisers about his spending, he most often engaged in profanity-laced tirades where he abused the professionals surrounding him and claimed that we would work harder to afford whatever new items he wanted to purchase,” the claim said.

JOHNNY DEPP SPENDS ORIGIN NIGHT WITH FANS

The documents claim that in August 2008, Mandell sent Depp an email advising him not to purchase a property in Hollywood that he had his eye on.

They say Depp’s response was “typical” — “I will call Tracey (Jacobs at UTA) and Jake (Bloom) and prepare them to make some ludicrous deals to refill the glass and make it (expletive) overflow! Whatever we have to acquire 1480, let’s do. We must buy this house.”

On another occasion, on or about May 30, 2015, Mandel and Depp met at one of Depp’s downtown Los Angeles lofts where the actor was again told he had insufficient funds to cover his debts and pay for his lifestyle.

Amber Heard and her then husband Johnny Depp on the Gold Coast on April 18, 2016. Picture: Aptrick Hamilton/AFP.

The meeting was held during Depp’s quick trip home from Australia to the US to see his daughter, Lily-Rose, for her 16th birthday.

The US lawsuit claims in October 2015, Depp sent Mandel a text message stating: “I am ready to face the music, in whatever way I must ... I know there’s a way to dig ourselves out of this hole and I am bound and determined to do it”.

JOHNNY DEPP MISSING IN ACTION

PIRATES FILMING AGAIN — IN CANADA

But on the few occasions when Depp said he was ready to change his ways, he never did — he always went back to his “uncontrolled spending”, the claim alleges.

The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales star initiated legal action against TMG last month, claiming that after he fired TMG last year, his new business manager discovered serious misconduct.

TMG claims Depp’s lawsuit is an attempt to derail foreclosure proceedings the company is pursuing against the actor in an attempt to recover $4.2 million he owes them.

TMG’s LAWSUIT SAYS DEPP’S SPENDING INCLUDED:

— More than $US75 million to acquire, improve and furnish 14 residences including a 45-acre chateau in the South of France, a chain of islands in the Bahamas, multiple houses in Hollywood, several penthouse lofts in downtown LA, a fully-functioning farm in Kentucky all of which required property taxes, upkeep, insurance and staff to service and maintain

— More than $US18 million to acquire and renovate a 150-foot luxury yacht

— Millions acquiring and maintaining at least 45 luxury vehicles

— $US30,000 month on expensive wines that he had flown to him around the world

— $US3 million to blast the ashes of author Hunter S. Thompson over Aspen, Colorado

— Millions to acquire and maintain a massive and extremely expensive art collection including more than 200 collectable works by Warhol, Klimt, Basquiat and Modigliani

— Expensive world-class jewellery

— Approximately 70 collectable guitars

— Hollywood collectibles and memorabilia involving Marilyn Monroe, John Dillinger and Marlon Brando that required 12 storage facilities and millions of dollars to attempt to archive

— A staff of 40 fulltime employees around the world costing at least $US300,000 a month to maintain

— $US150,000 a month on security guards for himself and his family

— $US200,000 a month on private planes. Depp refused to fly on anything other than a private Gulstream GV or above