A Decade of Depp

Johnny Depp the actor has been around in the public consciousness since 1984, but Johnny Depp the massively popular blockbuster movie star really only emerged in 2003, when he played Captain Jack Sparrow for the first time in the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" film. Sure, he had hits before that, including "Donnie Brasco," "Don Juan DeMarco," and several well-received collaborations with Tim Burton like "Edward Scissorhands" and "Ed Wood," but Depp was more of an acquired taste in the 90s. He was a regular fixture of independent films, and often seemed to pick his projects based on what directors and actors he wanted to work with.

But after Jack Sparrow, Depp's independent films have been few and far between. Sure, there's still a "Public Enemies," a "Rum Diary," or a "Libertine" now and then, but otherwise his resume has been full of big budget family films. Four "Pirates" films with another on the way, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and animated films "Rango" and "The Corpse Bride." It was recently announced that he will appear in the upcoming sequel to "Alice in Wonderland" in 2016, even though Tim Burton won't be back to direct it. He's certainly reaped the financial rewards, getting massive paydays for his involvement in most of his Disney projects, but he's also received the most recognition for his work from the industry post-Captain Jack. He's been nominated for Academy Awards three times since 2003, for the first "Pirates," "Finding Neverland," and "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." The Golden Globes seem to nominated him for the "Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy" category every year by default.

As one of Depp's fans who has been around since the mid-90s, the transition has been a little jarring. It's hard to reconcile the actor who appeared in John Waters and Jim Jarmusch films and let Hunter Thompson shave his head for "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," with the actor who said yes to a fifth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. The past ten years certainly hasn't been all bad, but at least when Depp appeared in bombs in the past, they were at least cinematically interesting failures like Sally Potter's "The Man Who Cried," or roman Polanski's "The Ninth Gate." Nowadays the bombs are movies like "Dark Shadows," "The Tourist," and "The Lone Ranger," which it's hard to muster up any defense for. Where ten years ago everyone was a Johnny Depp fan, now his popularity has seriously waned, and his broad performances as larger-than-life characters are all starting to look the same. Many point to his relationships with Disney and Tim Burton as the culprit. Depp has made six films with the Mouse and five with Burton over the past decade. Three more Disney films, including an ensemble part in the "Into the Woods" musical are planned.

To a certain extent, this seems to happen to all popular actors once they hit a certain age. They get older, have kids, and want to make movies that those kids can watch. They gravitate towards easier paychecks and steadier work as their financial obligations pile up. The urge to prove themselves goes away as they hit successful streaks. We saw it happen to Eddie Murphy, to Robert DeNiro, and nearly all the big action stars of the 90s. In many cases, as with DeNiro, as they age they're no longer in a position to play the kinds of roles that made them famous, so they start looking for alternatives. Though we still see him in the occasional crime thriller, Robert DeNiro is now almost entirely a comedic actor now. Murphy, long out of touch with the raw edge of comedy, has essentially become a children's performer. It'll be interesting to see what becomes of Tom Cruise as he ages out of action star roles - though looking at Bruce Willis and Liam Neeson, that may be a while.

Johnny Depp turned fifty this year, and I think he may weather the fallout of declining popularity and advancing age better than most. His early career proves that he is an extremely versatile performer, and a better character actor than a leading man. And after the recent string of high profile bombs, we're going to be seeing him in some riskier projects next - David Knoepp's thriller "Mortdecai" and Wally Pfister's science fiction film "Transcendence." Terry Gilliam recently announced that he's going to make another run at "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote," the movie that Depp famous didn't star in a decade ago, and I sincerely hope that they can try again together.

I still count myself a Johnny Depp fan, though my favorite Depp movies are all from the '90s - "Edward Scissorhands," "Benny & Joon," and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape." I've liked several of his recent films, particularly "The Libertine," and I enjoy Captain Jack Sparrow as much as anyone. However, I can't help but feel that I'm waiting for him to be done with being a movie star so he can go back to being an actor.
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