COLUMBUS - At 11 a.m., Alyssa Peters, 14, shifted nervously as she stood next to a barricade in Columbus.

She clutched a flat piece of decorated cardboard in her hands, gazing toward the opposite end of the block in downtown Columbus. The cardboard she held was decorated with small pictures of Johnny Depp, with the hand-written words "I (heart) U Johnny" written in large letters — big enough for Depp to read from a distance, she hoped.

Alyssa, an eighth-grader from Fox Lake, decorated the sign herself.

"I was up 'til one," she said.

Alyssa's mother, Nancy Peters, gave her a gift, taking the day off work so Alyssa could — hopefully — catch a fleeting glimpse of the megastar in Columbus on Thursday for the filming of "Public Enemies."

"We're just here to see a little action, hopefully," Nancy said.

Thursday was expected to be the last day of filming for the movie in Columbus for now, and it was possibly Alyssa's last chance to see Depp.

Alyssa admitted she had no qualms about adoring a man 30 years her senior. He's a man worth standing an entire day on concrete in the early spring sunshine for just one fleeting glimpse, she said.

"He's unique," Alyssa said. "He doesn't care about his appearance. ... He doesn't have perfect teeth. I think it's cool."

Standing with the crowd of about 100 people behind a security-enforced barrier one block from any action, Alyssa speculated about what she would do if "Johnny" chose to come up to her.

"Try to get a hug," she said, grinning.

At about noon, Depp climbed out of his SUV for filming — but he was too far away for pictures or a glimpse of Alyssa's sign. She and her mother remained, watching and hoping for a better look and perhaps a photo.

Moving out of downtown

Midday Thursday, with the last downtown shot completed, members of the film crew began cleaning and packing up. The vintage automobiles were driven away to be cleaned and returned to their owners, and the barricades were removed.

Spotting Johnny

At 1 p.m., Alyssa and her mother missed catching a glimpse of Depp as he was driven from the scene to his trailer, two blocks away, after the filming was completed. They walked the distance and joined the growing crowd, held across the street from the trailer by police and security, all waiting for Depp to emerge.

Two-and-a-half hours later, at 3:30 p.m. their patience paid off. With security in force, Depp walked from his trailer to a waiting SUV. He smiled and waved to the crowd as the SUV drove past the crowd.

Alyssa got her wish — she is positive Depp saw her sign and waved at her.

"I almost cried I was so happy," she said, grinning hugely.

He says goodbye

Hundreds of Depp's fans gathered on Water Street and began waiting well before he was done shooting the movie on Thursday night. Many of the fans were holding pictures of him, newspapers and markers waiting for him to sign them.

They got a glimpse of the star when he returned to his trailer shortly after 7 p.m. Their hopes were diminished soon after when Depp's driver came to the curb. The driver said Depp would not have time to sign autographs but said would return in two weeks.

Still the crowd waited with some people chanting "Johnny." Their persistence paid off when the driver returned to the curb and said Depp would walk the length of the street. He asked everyone to stay on the curb and remain calm.

A half and hour went by and the crowd grew larger. Security personnel were friendly but strict about people staying behind the curb.

Cheers grew louder when Depp made his appearance. Wearing jeans, a green shirt, a long black coat, white scarf and fedora hat, Depp walked the length of the street and waved at fans. When he reached the end of the road of his fans, he jumped on the running board of the S.U.V. and waved as he was driven away.

Terri Pederson contributed to this story.