Johnny Depp unexpectedly appeared to New York pedestrians in the guise of Ebenezer Scrooge — the miser from Charles Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol', who canonically 'hates Christmas'. The actor appeared in Bryant Park in full character costume: with appropriate makeup, a gloomy facial expression, and a characteristic demeanor, turning an ordinary street into a stage for the live promotion of the new film 'Ebenezer'. As reported by Wave RBC.UA, the film's promotional campaign intentionally plays on the main character's famous aversion to Christmas holidays, and the premiere itself is scheduled for November 13, 2026.
Live Advertising Instead of a Billboard
The essence of the promo action was not to be limited to traditional advertising, but to literally 'live into' the character in public. Depp brought the atmosphere of the upcoming film right onto the streets of New York and caught passersby off guard: instead of the usual colorful holiday, viewers got an encounter with a character for whom Christmas is an object of disdain. According to the organizers' plan, the actor continued to play the role even outside the filming set, turning a casual meeting with the public into an element of the marketing campaign.
Who is Ebenezer Scrooge
The new film 'Ebenezer' is a gothic reimagining of Charles Dickens's novella 'A Christmas Carol in Prose', published in 1843. According to the plot, the protagonist is the wealthy miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who despises Christmas and human kindness; on Christmas night, he is visited by ghosts that force him to rethink his own life. It is this internal transformation of the miser into a kind person that lies at the core of the classic plot, which director Ti West, known for his work on horror films, has translated into a darker, gothic tone.
Team and Cast
In addition to Johnny Depp, the film stars Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough, Daisy Ridley, Sam Claflin, and Tramell Tillman. The choice of a director specializing in horror explains the declared gothic nature of the adaptation: Dickens's story, familiar to many since childhood, is presented as an atmospheric, restrainedly scary parable rather than a family Christmas fairy tale.
Part of a Larger Promo Campaign
Depp's appearance in New York is not the only part of the advertising campaign. Earlier, at the San Diego Comic-Con festival, Paramount Pictures and the actor turned a block of the Gaslamp Quarter into the scenery of Dickens's Christmas parable, recreating a prop British village from the 1880s. There, Depp, including with a noticeable nose prosthesis, 'lived' the character in front of a crowd of fans, responding to greetings in the role of Scrooge. Thus, the New York outing in Bryant Park became a logical continuation of a series of live promotional events leading up to the premiere on November 13, 2026.
