a word on johnny depp
back in the late eighties or early nineties, depp and river phoenix were good friends. one night outside a club in l.a. (i think) river phoenix overdoses and dies, cutting short what could have become a life-long career in films. depp was at the same club that night. people wonder why he has eschewed his well-deserved fame for so long but i believe that is the reason. phoenix was about the same age and both were just starting out and depp saw his own death that night and refused to let his life end that way.
as such, he has chosen to stay away from traditional leading man roles in exchange for roles that are often weird ("edward scissorhands") or quirky ("benny and june") or dark ("the astronaut's wife"& "the secret window") or anti-heroic ("the ninth gate" & "pirates of the caribbean") or the occasional supporting cast role ("chocolat" & "the man who cried").
he is a great leading man but because of his role choices and acting style, he is also the best character actor alive today.
as such, he has chosen to stay away from traditional leading man roles in exchange for roles that are often weird ("edward scissorhands") or quirky ("benny and june") or dark ("the astronaut's wife"& "the secret window") or anti-heroic ("the ninth gate" & "pirates of the caribbean") or the occasional supporting cast role ("chocolat" & "the man who cried").
he is a great leading man but because of his role choices and acting style, he is also the best character actor alive today.
posted by scøüpe at 10:13 AM
13 Comments:
maybe i'm living in my own world, but wasn't johnny depp already very famous, from 21 jumpstreet. i only know river phoenix's name; i can't think of a single thing he was in.
as for your theory on depp, i think he's always been a little off. we just couldn't tell when he was on "jumpstreet," because he was playing an adult pretending to be a teen. & anyway, we didn't even know what teens actually acted like (not yet having reached puberty), so we don't even know if he was acting well, at all.
he was way cool, no doubt. to a bunch of 8-12 year-olds, anyway. but no, i think the reason he takes ridiculous roles is to prove that he's an artist.
i'm not real big on people who have to prove they're artists. if your art isn't impressive enough, it is not necessarily less artful. if your art is designed to be impressive, it is absolutely less artistic, & less real.
but that's just me.
i'm not sure he's proving he's an artist, or if he really does prefer to act in good movies. i mean, i've really liked every movie he's been in, aside from his role. i think maybe he just has good taste and enough sense not to jump at any and every role when he has enough talent to be choosy.
i was actually surprised when i saw he was going to be in "pirates" b/c it initially looked like a cheesy hollywood film. but his character/acting is what really made it worthwhile for me...
Jenna. What is this antagonism between your siblings about Johnny Depp? Is there some forgotten childhood incident we should all know about?? I sure hope so. That would be fascinating.
i'm just discovering it myself. chris, i think, doesn't want to admit that he secretly admired johnny depp and wanted to be him. he kinda looked like him at some points, too. coincidence? i think not.
hmm . . . interesting points from both sides. i like a lot of depp movies - mainly b/c they are different. i get very bored with predictable movies. my theory is that depp is also bored by the norm, and that he intentionally seeks out films that fall outside the boundaries or normality.
one of my favorite actors, christopher walken (man on fire; blast from the past; suicide kings; pulp fiction; the dead zone; deer hunter; dogs of war; brainstorm; things to do in denver when you're dead) seems to take the same professional tact.
first - walken was a late edition to my list of great character actors.
second - chris, as we all know, did really like depp in 21 jump street (i mean, who didn't?) and i have told him before how much he and depp remind me of each other as far as demeanor and appearance. i'm not sure why the current hatred toward depp except that maybe you think he attempts to be superior just to prove a point.
as far as his choice in roles, i know he's been offered many which he turned down that became box office hits - such as the role of neo in "the matrix".
1st off, no actor is good enough to act more clueless than keanu reeves actually is.
also: it's no secret, & i'm not ashamed to admit that i thought johnny depp was the coolest person ever when i was a kid. maybe that's why i can't stand him now. not to insult your taste fro (&, apparently, everyone else), but he picks crappy roles in crappy movies! edward scissorhands? benny & june? gilbert grape?
...i wish i knew how to spell the sound you make when you'd throw up if there was anything in you stomach.
i HATE the roles he picks! i'll decide against watching a movie, if i find out he's in it. i usually reserve such action for the likes of nicholas cage, or any actor named kevin, but i just know that if johnny depp is in a movie, it's gonna be wierd. and i don't like wierd movies.
ok, i like some wierd movies. but not johnny-depp-wierd. by that, i mean gratuitously wierd. it just seems to me that acting wierd really takes less talent for some people (see: christopher walken) than does acting normal.
i understand my brother's avarice toward depp movies because there are movies i refuse to watch based on who is in them. more often, however, the cast is how i choose what movies i will watch. i love art-house movies, sundance movies no-name actor movies. but i think what i love best are good ensemble films.
amen on the keanu reeves comment!!!!
sea, now there's the difference: i HATE artsy-fartsy, no-name, sundance-or-cannes-film-festival-type movies.
i do like a good ensemble movie, but --honestly-- how many GOOD ensemble movies have you ever seen?
suicide kings; once upon a time in mexico; lock, stock and two smoking barrels; snatch; knockaround guys; the way of the gun; closer; love actually; mystic river; the usual suspects...just to name of few
i agree w/snatch.
i liked knockaround guys, but don't really consider it an ensemble movie, in that it relies more on the actual plot than the players.
once upon a time in mexico was good, but J.D. got on my friggin' nerves.
love actually? the hugh grant movie? SUCKED!!!
...i haven't seen the rest.
you really should see "mystic river" and "the usual suspects" - good flicks.
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