How do you make Johnny Depp blush?

MANILA, Philippines - This writer discovered how with just two questions during last weekend’s junket for Warner Bros.’ Dark Shadows, Johnny Depp’s latest movie with his favorite collaborator, the celebrated filmmaker Tim Burton, held at the SLS Hotel in Los Angeles.

The handsome actor attended the press day along with the cast of the movie including four of his beautiful co-stars: The seemingly ageless Michelle Pfeiffer, the sultry French actress Eva Green, Aussie newcomer Bella Heathcote and teen sensation Chloe Grace Moretz, who most recently anchored Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning film Hugo.

It is no secret that Johnny is one of the most famous and hottest actors in Hollywood. Male actors want to work with him. Actresses want to date him. His eccentric and carefree personality coupled with his incredible good looks has earned him a multitude of female fans that have long harbored a crush on the actor ever since he graced TV sets on the hit 21 Jump Street during the late ‘80s.

And the fact that he has been attached to the same woman for more than a decade further adds to his appeal to women. Although there are rumors of marital problems, the actor has maintained that those gossips are untrue.

During the 45-minute international press conference, even if there were 11 other personalities in the panel, most of the questions were addressed to Johnny and Tim. Michelle and the rest of the ladies mostly kept quiet except for the occasional burst of laughter when a journalist would ask a curious and funny question or when another would mistakenly refer to the new movie that Johnny is currently filming for Disney as The Lonely Ranger instead of The Lone Ranger.

When this writer had his turn to ask a question, I had a two-fold question ready not for Johnny but for the ladies: “How was it like working with Johnny Depp and who among you has a crush on Johnny Depp?”

The room fell silent for a moment after I asked the question. The movie’s male screenwriter, Seth Grahame-Smith, who was present broke the silence and jokingly admitted that he had a crush on Johnny. Eva, Chloe and Bella who were sitting next to each other, were visibly giggling but not one of them wanted to speak out.

Michelle finally broke her silence and admitted that she had a crush on Johnny.

“I’ve always had a crush on Johnny Depp,” the lovely actress stated. “I will be the first to admit it… I am happily married by the way. Please include that in my statement about my crush on Johnny.”

“He’s great! We feel quite naughty. We are a fan club at the back,” Eva added, speaking on behalf of Chloe and Bella. “He is just wonderful and he takes lots of risks. He has very intense eyes and they go right to you and that’s quite something.”

For Michelle, working with the actor was also a revealing experience. “One never knows what to expect… you have preconceived ideas before you meet someone and I have always been a huge fan of his. He was really funny. He’s very fun-loving on the set, which I really like but when the cameras roll he’s very serious and always incredibly prepared and just really generous with the other actors.”

“It’s easy to get really intimidated by somebody of his stature. (I have worked with) some of the greatest actors and I think the most gifted ones have always been the most gracious and have this ability to put you at ease right away and he definitely has that in spades.”

Johnny tried to immediately reply but was tongue-tied for a few seconds after listening to Michelle’s glowing tribute to him. When he finally was able to speak, he managed a terse “Thank you!”

“If you could see through my hair, you would see me blushing,” he remarked. “The real question should be flipped around. Look who I got to work with! I have crushes on all of them!”

In Dark Shadows, Johnny portrays a vampire who was cursed and buried alive by a spurned lover only to reawaken 200 years later during the tumultuous days of the ’70s. The movie is a darkly comic update of the hit TV series of the same title with the flourish and inventiveness that’s typical of every Tim Burton movie.

This is Johnny’s ninth collaboration with the director. Do not ask what’s his favorite among the nine because he doesn’t watch any of his movies.

But ask him what animal he would like to transform to if he was a real vampire and he’ll give you a funny response: “The animal I would change into? I don’t know, Chihuahua? A Ferret? Maybe one of those frogs that if you lick the back you hallucinate.”

The 48-year-old actor surprised everyone with his wit during the junket. Asked if he was channeling the late Michael Jackson during one scene in the movie when his character stepped out into the sun wearing heavy sunblock, dark glasses, dark hat and a huge umbrella, he immediately quipped, “Well, I am actually always channeling Michael Jackson, even right now. So if you have any questions for him, feel free. He’s right here with me.”

He added that he will “moonwalk out at the end of the press conference” to huge laughter from everyone including Tim, who chimed in that he was also channeling Joe Jackson that same moment and did a riotous impression of Michael’s infamous dad.

“This has happened before, this kind of comparison to Michael Jackson,” Johnny replied seriously after the room has quieted down. “I actually thought the sunblock idea was pretty funny — we’ve never seen a vampire in the daytime so it was, kind of, the only route we could take.”

Johnny’s involvement in Dark Shadows extends beyond what he did onscreen. He also co-produced the movie. “I had a fascination since I was a kid with the show,” he revealed. “I would sprint home from school to watch it. It was always in there in my head on how great it would be to turn it into a film.”

And to his fans, this message: “I just hope that people like the film. I hope that they get it.”

Dark Shadows is now showing in theaters.