Johnny Depp walked the Earth disguised as a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie

Let it be proclaimed that we shall all be friendly to even odd-looking Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie types we might come across at, say, famed tourist attractions.

Because it might be Johnny Depp in top secret disguise.

Depp, it turns out, uses his makeup partner of many years, Joel Harlow, to walk among us.

He talked about getting all made up like a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie during a discussion at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, where Depp received a Maltin Modern Master award from film historian Leonard Maltin.

You see, you need a disguise when you're Depp and you're hitting a public spot like the London Eye with kids Lily-Rose and Jack. Sunglasses don't hide those Depp cheekbones!

"I've been lucky enough to work with a makeup artist like Joel Harlow. You can throw anything at him. 'Joel I need to go to the London Eye with my children and I want to look like a roadie from Lynyrd Skynyrd.' Done. It was the first time I got to take my kids to the London Eye with no one looking at me like I was Johnny Depp. They did look at me like I was some kind of sick-o walking around with beautiful kids. But I had a perfect disguise. So that did work."

Harlow worked his magic for Depp's role as James "Whitey" Bulger in Black Mass. Depp said it was a key part of the early process:

"Joel has done miraculous work through the years. We pushed and pushed and pushed until we both felt it was right ... I knew Joel would take me where I needed to go there. And everything else would fall into place."

While Black Mass was under-appreciated with the Academy Awards, with no nominations for makeup, or for Depp himself, Depp says the Harlow look was crucial for audiences.

"When you take the idea of playing someone like Jimmy Bulger, it’s a radically different process at that point. The only way to do it is you have to come out of make-up looking like the guy. If you don’t look like the guy, it’s going to bug you all day."