The Couch Potato's Guide to the New Hollywood: The Legacy of Johnny Depp

nicogenin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

By Geoff Carter

Most of us first saw Johnny Depp as a fresh-faced recruit in Platoon or as the geeky lovelorn teenager in Nightmare on Elm Street. At that time, he seemed to be just another Hollywood pretty boy, but since then, he’s created unique iconic performances as the soft-spoken and kindly Edward in Edward Scissorhands, the manically odd Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland, and the spasmodically cool and laconic Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. His evolution as an actor has taken him into very strange realms of imagination and the human condition.

His longtime collaboration with Tim Burton—lasting over three decades and resulting in eight films—has had a profound effect on Depp’s career, allowing him to establish himself as an edgy, innovative actor. Depp willingly cast off the label of teen heartthrob to plumb the depths of the dark side of human nature and, in doing so, has established a singular niche that no other actor of his generation came close to filling. He has played relatively normal—and usually vulnerable—people like Glen Lantz in Nightmare on Elm Street or Lerner in Platoon or Gilbert in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? with an easy believability, but he is also able to pivot and fill the large and ungainly shoes of otherworldly characters like Edward Scissorhands or The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland or Willie Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, using his craft to make the unbelievable not only believable, but relatable, and ultimately very human.

Due to his affinity for and longtime friendship with director Tim Burton, whose cinematic vision embraces the fantastic, Depp has taken very human foibles into new and unusual spaces, but his ambition doesn’t stop with Burton. He has also worked with other innovators like John Waters, Jim Jarmusch, Robert Rodriguez, and Terry Gilliam. The only constant in his work seems to be stretching the envelope of his craft as he reimagines the typical.

Much of Depp’s craft lies in the effectiveness of facial expression: Sparrow’s bewildered frown, Wonka’s lifted eyebrow, or Edward’s wide-eyed apprehension—and pouty mouth, speak volumes about the soul and motivations of each character.

While Depp’s career, because of personal problems and legal tangles, is presently in a bit of a tailspin, we can only hope that he once again will rise to be one of our most talented and entertaining artists. Even though much of his behavior is deplorable and inexcusable, he is truly one of a kind. So, with difficulty, the Potato picked out ten of Depp’s outstanding works.

The Ten Best Films of Johnny Depp

Edward Scissorhands: In this suburban fantasy, Edward (Johnny Depp) is a humanoid constructed by an amiable inventor who died before completing his creation. As a result, poor Edward has only scissors for hands. Exiled in a lonely castle on a hill overlooking an impossibly pastel suburban neighborhood, Edward is rescued by Peg (Diane Wiest), a kindly Avon lady who takes him to her home. There, Edward finds it extremely difficult to adapt to his new circumstances. Simple actions like eating or dressing are very hard, and he struggles to fit in until he discovers a talent for hairstyling and creating topiaries. Edward falls in love with Kim (Winona Ryder), Peg’s daughter, who is repulsed by him until she eventually begins to appreciate his beautiful nature, but their love leads to tragedy. Notable for great supporting performances by Alan Arkin, Dianne Wiest, and Anthony Michael Hall.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Alan Arkin, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, and Vincent Price. Screenplay by Caroline Thompson. Directed by Tim Burton.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: In this swashbuckling—and quite eccentric—fantasy thriller (based on a ride in Disneyland), Depp plays Captain Jack Sparrow, the daring and offbeat pirate who is determined to retrieve The Black Pearl, his ship. After he escapes from British authorities, Sparrow seeks revenge on Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who stole the ship from him, and left Sparrow abandoned on a desert island. He is joined by a swordsmith, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), who seeks to rescue his love Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) from Barbossa’s clutches. Betrayals, complications, and daring escapes follow—though not necessarily in that order. This was only the first in a series of six of these films. Depp’s portrayal of Sparrow, which he termed as a cross between Keith Richards (the original rock star pirate), and Pepe Le Pew (for his optimism and resilience). The result is surprising, funny, and entirely convincing. The flightiness, shrewdness, audacity, and lilting manner of this pirate is entirely un-piratelike. Notable for an incredible supporting cast.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Jack Davenport, and Jonathan Pryce. Written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. Directed by Gore Verbinski.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon of Fleet Street: In this film version of Stephen Sondheim’s hit Broadway musical, Depp takes on the role of the murderous barber Sweeney Todd, a man bent on avenging his wrongs done him by the world. After being falsely accused and sent to prison by Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who wanted Todd’s wife for himself, Todd returns under a false name years later and sets up shop over Mrs. Lovett’s (Helena Bonham Carter) pie shop. Todd discovers he has a daughter Johanna (Jayne Weisner) who is Turpin’s ward. When a former assistant threatens to reveal the barber’s past, Todd kills him. After a visit from Turpin in which he renounces him, Todd vows to murder as many people as possible. Teaming up with Mrs. Lovett, who bakes his victims into her pies (much improving them) he wreaks his vengeance upon the men of London and is finally able to give Turpin his due before encountering a surprise acquaintance. As Todd, Depp brings a controlled fury and brittle anger to this iconic role while his vocals resonate with the grating bitterness of a rotting vengeance. Notable for Burton’s cinematography which recreates the dark and cloudy London of that time.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Jayne Weisner, Sasha Baron Cohen, and Timothy Spall. Written by John Logan. Directed by Tim Burton.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?: In this family drama, Gilbert Grape (Depp) has been saddled with the responsibility of taking care of his disabled brother Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio) and the rest of his small town dysfunctional family (including his morbidly obese mother). Yearning to get out and live his own life and trying to get out from under the shadow of his dead father, Gilbert meets (Juliette Lewis) an attractive—and eccentric—young woman who is just passing through. Finding himself very attracted to her, Gilbert unsuccessfully tries to balance his own needs with those of his family with unfortunate results. Depp’s portrayal of Gilbert as a young man suffocated by the responsibilities of his home life is exceptional. Notable for Leonardo DiCaprio’s brilliant and poignant performance as Arnie.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Mary Steenburgen, Crispin Glover, John C. Reilly, Juliette Lewis, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Screenplay by Peter Hedge. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom.

Black Mass: In this biopic of Whitey Bulger, one of organized crime’s most notorious bosses, Depp switches gears from his standard portrayals of offbeat and quirky characters to play Bulger, a shrewd and manipulative killer. When a rival gang threatens his Winter Hill Gang, Whitey realizes that he gets some protection from the fed by becoming an informant. He works with FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), who grew up in the neighborhood. After Bulger feeds Connolly enough information to put his rivals away, he starts to ingratiate Connolly into his circle, causing doubts about his dependability to Connolly’s superiors. When U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak (Corey Stoll) is appointed and makes it clear he is going after Bulger, Connolly finds himself caught in the middle. Bulger, wily rat that he is, somehow ends up on top. Notable for Depp’s intense and compelling portrayal of the charismatic criminal.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Corey Stoll, Dakota Fanning, Julianna Nicholson, Jesse Plemons, and Davis Harbour. Written by Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth. Directed by Scott Cooper.

Dead Man: In this oddball neo-Western from Jim Jarmusch, Depp plays William Blake, a greenhorn accountant from Cleveland traveling West for a promised job. When John Dickinson (Robert Mitchum), denies Blake the job and throws him out, Thel Russell (Mill Avital) a young prostitute takes pity on him and takes him home, but is shot and killed by a jealous who also mortally wounds Blake. After killing the assailant—who is Dickinson’s son—Blake leaves and is befriended by Nobody (Gary Farmer), a Native-American. Nobody realizes that Blake’s wound is mortal and determines to be his guide into the spirit world. The two encounter cross-dressing preachers, assassins, and fur traders before Nobody sends off Blake to his destination. Notable for Jarmusch’s signature offbeat direction.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Robert Mitchum, Lance Henricksen, Iggy Pop, Crispin Glover, John Hurt, and Billy Bob Thornton. Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch.

Ed Wood: In this comic biopic of one of Hollywood’s all-time worst directors, Depp plays Ed Wood, the mastermind behind such classics as Plan Nine from Outer Space and Glen or Glenda. It would have been very easy to mock or parody the man, but instead director Tim Burton decides to focus on Wood’s undying—and sometimes unfathomable—optimism as he successfully persuades actors, investors, and crew to follow his cinematic vision. Shot in soft-edged black and white, the film captures the strange and wonderful world of movies in the fifties. Wood is able to persuade aging star Bela Lugosi, a vampire hostess, and an ex-wrestler to get behind the project. Depp is inexorably confident and buoyant but never cloying or cutesy, balancing that sometimes thin line between reality and parody. Notable for Martin Landau’s exceptional turn as the aged Bela Lugosi.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, and Bill Murray. Written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. Directed by Tim Burton.

Donnie Brasco: Based on a true story of an undercover FBI agent, the film follows Joe Pistone, an undercover cop posing as jewel-thief Donnie Brasco (Johnny Depp) as he befriends Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino), a member of the Bonanno crime family. Ruggiero likes Brasco and starts to insinuate him into the crime family. Eventually, Lefty trusts Brasco enough to go in with him on opening a night club in Miami, a venture that goes sour when rival Sonny (Michael Madsen) swoops in and snatches it from Lefty. Things go sour on opening night and Sonny retaliates and becomes the new boss. When he insists that Donnie kill a rival to gain entry in the family, things quickly go south. Depp’s performance as an officer so deep undercover that he begins losing himself is extraordinary.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Al Pacino, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo, Anne Heche, and Val Avery. Written by Paul Attanasio. Directed by Mike Newell.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: In this somewhat controversial film version of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s book of the same title, Journalist Raoul Walsh (Depp) has been assigned to cover the Mint 400 Motorcycle Race in Las Vegas, and, while under the influence of mescaline, complains to a hitchhiker (a very young Tobey McGuire) about swarms of giant bats. Walsh persuades his friend to eat some acid and they spend the rest of their trip—well, tripping—while roaming through the garish greed and overindulgence that is Las Vegas. While some critics panned the film, calling it aimless and nothing but a series of strung-together vignettes, others hailed it as a metaphor for the surreality of Vegas. Notable for the fact that to prepare for the role, Depp spent months studying Hunter S. Thompson, reading his notebooks and copying his mannerisms.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro, Tobey McGuire, Christie Ricci, Ellen Barkin, Garey Busey, and Lyle Lovett. Written by Terry Gilliam, Tony Grisoni, Alex Cox, and Tod Davies. Directed by Terry Gilliam.

Benny and Joon: In this romantic comedy, Ben (Aidan Quinn) lives with his mentally disabled sister Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson) live together after the sudden death of their parents. As a result of losing a bet to Benny’s friend Mike, his cousin Sam (Johnny Depp) comes to live with them. Benny is at first reluctant but eventually warms up to Sam. Soon, he and Joon begin to have feelings for each other. When Benny discovers this, he becomes angry and orders Sam out of the house. Joon becomes agitated and leaves to run away with Sam but suffers a breakdown on the bus as they leave. She has to be hospitalized and Benny, feeling guilty, asks Sam to help him patch things up with his sister. Notable for Depp’s performance as the outlandish and colorful outsider, a role that he has mastered.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn, Julianna Moore, Oliver Platt, and William H. Macy. Written by Barry Berman. Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik.