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Black Mass: Johnny Depp Asked to Meet "Whitey" Bulger, Infamous Mobster Turned Him Down

Actor is getting lots of Oscar buzz for his work as the notorious Bostonian

By Marc Malkin Sep 17, 2015 6:06 PMTags
Watch: What Would Johnny Depp & Joel Edgerton Say to Whitey Bulger?

Johnny Depp is getting a lot of Oscar buzz for his starring work as James "Whitey" Bulger in Black Mass.

But he didn't get any help directly from the infamous Boston mobster, who is serving a double-life sentence in prison for multiple murders.

Depp admits he reached out to Bulger.

"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 respectively declines," Depp told E! News at the Black Mass premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Joel Edgerton costars in the Scott Cooper-directed movie as John Connolly, an FBI agent who is also serving time in prison for various charges, including second degree murder, stemming from his close ties to Bulger.

Watch: Joel Edgerton Recalls Seeing Johnny Depp as Whitey Bulger

Edgerton said he's a bit nervous that Bulger still has some power even though he's behind bars. "The other day I referred to him as a psychopath in an interview," the Aussie actor said at the HFPA/InStyle party at TIFF, adding, "I hope he doesn't watch the interview and come looking for me."

Bulger remained at large for 16 years before being found and arrested in 2011 in Santa Monica. He was indicted for 19 murders. In November 2013, he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus five years.

Bulger's brother William "Billy" Bulger (played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the film) was a politician who became President of the Massachusetts State Senate. He was forced to resign from office in 2003 by then-Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney after he admitted to using a payphone to speak to his brother when he was a fugitive.

Black Mass is in theaters tomorrow, Sept. 18.

Watch: Dakota Johnson Curses Out Johnny Depp on Set