Johnny Depp knows he has a lot to live up to when Dark Shadows hits theaters on May 11.

He took time out today to pay his respects to Jonathan Frid, the original Barnabas Collins from the Dark Shadows TV series, who died on April 13.

Depp called his predecessor, who has a cameo in Tim Burton's upcoming film, an "inspiration."

"Jonathan Frid was the reason I used to run home from school to watch Dark Shadows," Depp said in a statement obtained by E! News.

"His elegance and grace was an inspiration then and will continue to remain one forever more. When I had the honor to finally meet him, as he so generously passed the torch of Barnabas to me, he was as elegant and magical as I had always imagined. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. The world has lost a true original."

Kathryn Leigh Scott, who also starred on the original series and has a cameo in the film, wrote on her website that she is grateful to have known Frid as the "charismatic, entertaining, complex and plain-spoken man that he was."

"I won't ever forget the moment when the two Barnabas Collinses met, one in his late 80s and the other in his mid-40s, each with their wolf's head canes," she says of the day Frid met Depp on set.

"Jonathan took his time scrutinizing his successor's appearance. 'I see you've done the hair,' Jonathan said to Johnny Depp, 'but a few more spikes.' Depp, entirely in character, replied, 'Yes, we're doing things a bit differently.'"

Critics will weigh in on the new Dark Shadows, of course—but it may be the longtime Frid fans who have the last word on how well Depp and Burton honors the original Barnabas.

沪江娱乐快讯：今年5月11日，约翰尼·德普与老搭档蒂姆·伯顿的全新力作《黑暗阴影》（Dark Shadows）即将上映。它根据60年代同名超自然电视剧改编，该剧长达1225集，是一部气氛阴森的电视剧，几乎集合了所有哥特式恐怖片里出现过的角色，如吸血鬼、怪兽、巫婆、狼人、幽灵、僵尸等等。

德普曾表示他从小就一直很喜欢《黑暗阴影》这部剧，此次该剧被搬上大银幕就有他的一份功劳。据悉，德普会扮演片中的吸血鬼元老波拿巴·柯林斯（Barnabas Collins），这个角色在原剧里是由Jonathan Frid扮演的。早前他曾表示“这对于我来说就像毕生的梦，当我是个小孩的时候我就非常喜欢《黑暗阴影》这部电视剧，我超喜欢Barnabas Collins这个角色(原剧中由Jonathan Frid扮演)，Jonathan Frid的优雅与气场一直激励启发着我。“遗憾的是，今年4月13日Jonathan Frid不幸辞世，德普也表达了对这位吸血鬼前辈的无限敬意。