Johnny Depp tells Ellen DeGeneres George Bush inspired his Willy Wonka

In his first ever appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Johnny Depp -- star of the upcoming "Dark Shadows" -- was, as ever, engaging and a little enigmatic.

Depp talked to Ellen on Tuesday (May 8) about how he crafts a persona for each of his characters.

"Generally within the first 10 pages of a script something hits, something clicks," he says. "Then the images start to come -- the look starts to come."

He continues: "The idea behind Willy Wonka -- there are certain ingredients you add. I imagined what George Bush would be like incredibly stoned. And thus was born my version of Willy Wonka."

"Edward Scissorhands was a combination," he says. "The idea of like a newborn seeing things for the first time and a dog that I'd had -- with this unconditional love and this purity."

Okay, but who was the inspiration for the guy he was playing on Ellen? Because that character had a pronounced Irish brogue and, last time we checked, Depp was born in Kentucky.