The foreigner who caused a buzz at Emquartier shopping mall last week, when Thai people mistook him for Johnny Depp and lined up for autographs, said he never claimed to be the Hollywood star nor did he sign “Johnny Depp” on the fans’ merchandise.
The mysterious man, now identified as Australian-born photographer Vivian Grey, recalled the dramatic scene when he was inside the Louis Vuitton shop at the mall last Friday, when suddenly, he saw flashes from cameras everywhere.
Grey claimed he doesn’t live in Bangkok, but visits frequently for work and loves Thai culture.
“I walked into Louis Vuitton, and the manager came to me and said ‘I know who you are.’ And I said ‘What do you mean, you know who I am?’” he alleged.
“There were photographers outside Louis Vuitton…I was happy [that the manager called security] because I’ve been in a situation before…in the place that will remain nameless…where I was mobbed because people thought that I was John,” he said.
Grey suspected that the mall was crowded with photographers that day because there was a concert by a famous Thai band scheduled.
In response to the previous Coconuts story, which he regarded as “fake news,” Grey said he never claimed to be Johnny Depp that day. However, many excited Thais assumed he was the real deal and posted Grey’s pictures with captions such as “Ahhhh! Depp is in Thailand!”
“I informed the mall from the beginning [that I was not Johnny Depp], and they repeated it,” he said firmly.
Regarding the woman who assisted him with the line of people who wanted his autograph, Grey said he didn’t know that person but suspected she worked for the mall because of her uniform and badge.
“All she did was crowd control.”
Nevertheless, he denied the rumors that Emquartier staged the scene, “No one gave me money to stand and sign my name on a piece of paper.”
Meeting Thailand’s Johnny Depp
Walking into a Starbucks in Chidlom area in all-black attire topped off with a colorful ascot, black eyeliner, and thick glasses, Grey easily turned the heads of people inside the coffeeshop during the interview.
On an average day, the photographer said he is approached in Thailand 15 to 20 times for an autograph or photo. He recalled people on the streets taking selfies with him in the shot, a Singaporean woman asking him to sign her toddler’s T-shirt, and people from all over the world commenting on his looks.
He alleged, “When I was Vietnam around Christmas. I was stalked 300 times. I was chased through malls…within a span of a couple of days.”
“I think that it’s more of…‘This guy looks like him so much’…and they want to take a photo.”
A video of people asking Grey for photographs in Bangkok, provided to Coconuts by Grey’s publicist.
The photographer said, however, he always denied being Johnny Depp.
“Signing an autograph and signing Johnny Depp’s name are two different things. When people come up to me and ask ‘Are you Johnny Depp?’ I say, ‘No, I am not’, and they say ‘Yeah, you are’ or ‘Whatever.”
Asked if he thinks he looks like Depp, Grey said, “No!” with his eyes slightly widened in disbelief.
“I dress like this because I’m in fashion. I have tattoos because I go to a tattoo parlor. I paint my nails because I want to. I wear glasses because I have to read. I wear Converse because I love skating. That’s just my look.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vivian Grey
Asked how he deals with being regularly stopped as the Hollywood star, “I never mind when anyone in the world wants to ask for my autograph. I find it humorous and endearing, and people are always lovely.”
“I had people from Hong Kong, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, America come up to me and do a selfie. I find it lovely and polite — I don’t mind at all.”
Not only strangers find his look similar to Captain Sparrow, Grey is used to being called by Johnny Depp-related nicknames by his Thai friends too.
He said with a smile, “They either call me Captain Jack, Vivian Depp, Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp Thailand. [They say] Where’s your knife? Where’s your boat? All of my friends are Thai, so they’re kuan teen [making jokes] all day and all night.”
Grey said he’d like to set the record straight that he didn’t deliberately attempt to fool people. In fact, his team created the Facebook page Johnny Depp Muang Thai or “Thailand’s Johnny Depp,” to avoid further misunderstandings.
Who is Vivian Grey?
When Vivian Grey reached out to Coconuts in response to the previous article, he did not reveal his name prior the interview.
There’s nothing about Vivian Grey on the internet, except an Instagram account called “Who is Vivian Grey,” and a few articles which referred to him as an “international photographer.”
Grey, who has worked in fashion for over 20 years and moves wherever work takes him, said he’d like to keep a quiet life inside of his business. Not interested in being the name or the face people know, Grey said he accepts work through referrals and has publicists in Los Angeles and Hong Kong.
Refusing to name his private clients, he only mentioned that he has worked with brands such as Versace, BMW, Stella Artois, Nine West, and the Discovery Channel. He closed the interview implying he shot wedding photos for Denise Keller, a Singaporean model.
Some of Vivian Grey’s work. Photos: Courtesy of Vivian Grey.
Having lived in Thailand at one point of his life, Grey finds Thai people accepting of foreigners and has made many local friends — which would explain why after the situation at Emquartier, he was spotted at Nunglen, a bar popular among young Thais.
Describing himself as “shy” and preferring to “sit in the corner,” while in Thailand, Grey sometimes sings with local bands in the Thonglor area.
“Do I get nervous when I sing? Sometimes,” Grey said, adding he never asks for the honor, but the bands who know him would sometimes invite him to join.
While we will never comprehend who Vivian Grey truly is, we know one thing — he can sing in Thai.
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