When Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp recently posed for pictures with fans in St. Petersburg, Russia, the images made headlines around the world.
Looking pale and gaunt Depp’s fans were concerned about the star’s health ahead of a performance with his band The Hollywood Vampires.
But for Los Angeles guitar tech Mark Rojas, the photos had a whole different meaning.
‘I was at home and my phone lit up, I was getting ten text messages a second from people going crazy about the photos, my Instagram, Instant Messenger was blowing up,’ said Mark.
‘Johnny was wearing my FUGLY Los Angeles cap and everyone had seen the photos on DailyMail.com, it was incredible.’
Mark is the man behind the FUGLY Los Angeles trademark – a unique fashion brand he created on an anti-bullying message.
Los Angeles guitar tech Mark Rojas (left) has revealed how Johnny Depp took a liking to his FUGLY brand after hearing about its anti-bullying message
Rojas, 50, met the actor at rehearsals for Depp’s band and told him the idea behind FUGLY – which he created four years ago but has since picked up steam
And he says that Charlie and the Chocolate star Depp has given his full support to the tiny brand after hearing Mark’s heart-wrenching story.
Earlier this year the pair met at rehearsals for The Hollywood Vampires – the band that features Depp, Alice Cooper, 70, and Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, 67.
Mark, 50, hit it off with the 55-year-old actor and told him about the idea behind FUGLY.
When he shared his own story of being bullied as a child Depp was in tears.
‘Johnny was very emotional when I told him about what happened to me, the trauma I went through as a kid.
‘I was a nerdy, goofy, skinny kid and I was badly bullied and it has affected me to this day.
‘I’ve had problems with alcoholism and tried to take my own life 15 times and had to deal with a lot of issues. I’ve had to live it, I’m a survivor.
‘This really resonated with Johnny, he loves the word fugly and he told me he’s encountered bullying in his life too.
‘He immediately threw his support behind FUGLY LA and promised to wear my caps.’
Mark, who was raised in Monrovia, California recalls telling Depp about one bullying episode when he was aged seven at school.
Depp has been spotted in public wearing the caps which Rojas says the actor promised him he’d wear to promote the message
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor, pictured arriving in Berlin for his band’s tour, told Rojas that he had been bullied as well
Depp’s gaunt and pale appearance in photos taken in Russia with his fans earlier this month, sparked rumors that the actor’s health was deteriorating
‘I was a little boy, out playing on the monkey bars,’ he said.
‘I was thirsty and I wanted to go drink water out of the water fountain.
‘There was a couple of kids around there and they came around me and one said, “hey, you want some water? Close your eyes and we’ll put some water in this cup and I’ll put it in your mouth.”
‘I was like okay, I thought he was my friend or whatever, when all of a sudden he spits this huge loogie in my mouth and I immediately started crying.
‘I ran and told the teacher and I had my mom pull me out of school, I didn’t want to go anymore. Everyone was making fun of me, calling me the spit kid.
‘The crazy thing is I’m still Facebook friends with the guy who did that to me and every once in a while he’ll bring it up and say “how’s my spit taste?” I’m still getting bullied over it, I never have the heart to delete anyone.’
Speaking at Friedman Amps Custom Shop in North Hollywood, Mark recalls another incident later in his teens when he was bullied and duped into signing over his 1969 Camaro car to someone else and another time when he was forced to chug a cup full of urine in front of a baying crowd.
Mark says being bullied as a kid caused him to have major depression as an adult.
‘I don’t like to be alone,’ he says. ‘My dad wasn’t around when I was younger, I have always been depressed. The bullying was a constant thing, I was the uncool goofy kid, they’d say mean things and steal my Hot Wheels cars.
‘When I was in my late teens I tried to take my own life because of it, I have tried to kill myself 15 times.
Rojas (pictured left as a child) says he has suffered depression and has attempted suicide multiple times due to bullying. He created FUGLY to preoccupy himself and bring awareness to everything that’s ‘ugly in the world
‘I became an alcoholic and suffered major depression.’
But with the help of friends and family Mark has turned his life around and is now six years sober.
He works as a guitar tech for major musicians in LA and also a union grip on movie sets.
He decided to create the FUGLY hats four years ago to preoccupy himself and bring awareness to everything that’s ugly in the world, through a sense of humor.
Mark started the brand with an ex-girlfriend, mainly just to hand out hats to friends and family, but has recently started taking it seriously.
He first met Depp at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) event in Anaheim, California in January where he was working as a guitar tech.
‘I was doing a special event with Johnny and guitarist Wayne Kramer and the guys from Stone Temple Pilots and Johnny says,”hey I love your hat, can I get it online?’ and I was like no dude, it’s my own brand.
‘I just happened to have a bag of stuff with me so I gave him a bunch of hats and he was asking me what it was all about.
‘And I told him it’s about the bullying and how I believe everything that’s ugly in this world is FUGLY. He said he loved the word and loved the message, he said it was awesome.
‘He told me people are bullying him all the time ever since he was a kid, now he’s the biggest star in the world so he can say f**k you.
‘So that’s what FUGLY is all about, “you can’t bully me, f**k you.” And Johnny wants the message to get out there.’
Rojas said FUGLY is about telling others ‘you can’t bully me, f**k you. And Johnny wants the message to get out there.’ The two are now collaborating on the FUGLY Los Angeles line and Depp is acting as an unofficial brand ambassador
After meeting Depp, Mark didn’t think anything of it but he started getting messages from friends who had seen the star wearing the caps.
He said: ‘Someone told me they saw him wearing it on a movie set in LA and then Joe Perry’s tech texted me and said Johnny was wearing that s**t all the time in rehearsals for The Hollywood Vampires.’
Then earlier this month, three-time Oscar-nominated Depp was photographed wearing the cap in Russia and Poland while on a European tour with his band.
The photos appeared on news sites around the globe and Mark says he’s been inundated with hundreds emails.
‘There’s so many stories of bullying, I try to reply to all of them, it takes me hours, people are hurting,’ he said.
Mark has since met up with Depp again and the pair is regularly in touch.
They are now collaborating on the FUGLY Los Angeles line and Depp is acting as an unofficial brand ambassador.
The FUGLY LA caps are selling for $21 on Mark’s website fuglylosangeles.com and Mark says orders are coming in from all over the world.
When he’s covered his costs he hopes to make FUGLY a brand that raises money for charity.
‘The message is now gaining momentum. A five-minute experience of a child getting bullied lasts a lifetime. That’s the motto. I live it.’