Johnny Depp – A Truly Versatile Actor

“When I see someone who just follows their dream and succeeds, and just does basically what they want to do and doesn’t have to answer to anyone, obviously not harming anyone, that’s great.” – Johnny Depp

According to my husband, Johnny Depp is one of the greatest actors – if not the greatest actor of our time. And this is one time in which I have to agree with my husband. Not only is he a great actor, but he is also my “Man of Style” for December.

Depp has played a wide array of characters, from Sam in Benny and Joon and Scottish author J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland to Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland and Raoul Duke in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

When he was asked about why why he hides his looks behind strange wigs, fake teeth and girly squeals, Depp said, “I think it’s an actor’s responsibility to change every time. Not only for himself and the people he’s working with, but for the audience. If you just go out and deliver the same dish every time . . . it’s meat loaf again . . . you’d get bored. I’d get bored.”

And who wants to be bored when they’re watching a movie? Not me! If my husband finds a movie boring or uninteresting, even if we’re only 15 minutes into the movie, he will turn it off.

My husband’s top five favorite Johnny Depp movies are:
1. Benny & Joon
2. Public Enemies
3. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
4. Edward Scissorhands
5. Donnie Brasco

I enjoy Depp’s sensitive characters, like J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland (“Unlock your imagination” and let this movie tug at the heartstrings) and Roux in Chocolat (“One taste is all it takes” to fall in love with Johnny Depp).

Finding Neverland is about a semi-autobiographical film about successful Scottish author Sir J. M. (James) Barrie and his special relationship with the family that inspired him to create Peter Pan.

J.M. Barrie: What did you think?
Peter Llewelyn Davies: It’s about our summer together, isn’t it?
J.M. Barrie: It is.
Peter Llewelyn Davies: About all of us.
J.M. Barrie: That’s right. You like it?
Peter Llewelyn Davies: It’s magical. Thank you.
J.M. Barrie: No, thank you. Thank you, Peter.

Born in Owensboro, Kentucky, on June 9, 1963, Johnny Depp has found success as an actor, producer, and musician. He has portrayed real people like J. M. Barrie and Joseph D. Pistone (Donnie Brasco), and he has developed such over-the-top characters like the beloved Captain Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands, and the Mad Hatter. Depp was a teen idol, having gained that title with his role as Tommy Hanson in 21 Jump Street.

He dropped out of school at the age of 15 and fronted several garage bands during his youth. On his first visit to Los Angeles, he met Nicolas Cage, who advised him to try his hand at acting.  Depp, who had been working as a ballpoint-pen salesman, made his film debut in The Nightmare on Elm Street.

Since that time, Depp has made more than 50 movies, which includes several collaborations with Tim Burton, including Edward Scissorhands, The Corpse Bride, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Tim’ Burton’s wife, Helena Bonham Carter, has been Depp’s costar in about five or six movies.

Depp physical appearance has changed throughout the years, whether it was for a role or just because. Short hair or long hair, he has always looked like a rebel, and now he usually sports longer hair occasionally topped by a hat of some kind. Although he is part “rebel”, he is also part “family man”. He and his former long-time partner, singer-actress Vanessa Paradis, have two children – Lily-Rose Melody (born in 1999) and Jack (born in 2002).

In talking about a conversation he had with his daughter, Depp said, “Now it’s starting to get to profound [things]. She sat me down the other day, sort of like, “Dad, I need to have a talk with you.” You know, she’s four. I said, “Alright sweetheart, what do you got?” She said, “I just want to ask you three questions.” I said, “Ok, what do you got?” She said, “Is God afraid of dogs?” I thought about it. I said, “No honey, I don’t think he is. Probably not.” She said, “Ok. Has He seen the dinosaurs?” I said, “Yes, I think he has.” And then she said, “Does God have a maid?” And I didn’t know how to answer it!”

“My body is my journal, and my tattoos are my story,” said Depp.

According to Wikipedia, “Depp has around 13 tattoos, many of them signifying important persons or events in his life. They include a Native American in profile and a ribbon reading “Wino Forever” (originally “Winona Forever”, altered after his breakup with Winona Ryder) on his right biceps, “Lily-Rose” (his daughter’s name) over his heart, “Betty Sue” (his mother’s name) on his left biceps, and a sparrow flying over water with the word “Jack” (his son’s name; the sparrow is flying towards him rather than away from him as it is in Pirates of the Caribbean) on his right forearm.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Depp)

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes credited to Johnny Depp:

“There are four questions of value in life… What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living “for, and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is same. Only love.”

“I don’t think anybody’s necessarily ready for death. You can only hope that when it approaches, you feel like you’ve said what you wanted to say. Nobody wants to go out in mid-sentence.”

[on being an uncle] “My sister Christi had a baby when I was 17, and I had just heard about crib death. The horrible thing was that it wasn’t understood. For some unknown reason the baby would stop breathing. So I would sneak into where the baby was sleeping and put my hand in her crib, hold her little finger, and I’d sleep on the floor like that. It was stupid, I’m sure. But I thought the warmth of my hand might help, that maybe if she felt my pulse it would remind her to breathe.”

(Quotes were taken from his bio on www.IMDb.com.)

Sam: Joon.
Joon: What?
Sam: I-I love you.
Joon: Me too.
Joon: [door opens; gets up] Don’t tell Benny.
Sam: Okay.

I (metaphorically) raise my glass to Johnny Depp! Thank you for giving us such wonderful, memorable characters! Here’s to you, Johnny!

What is your favorite Johnny Depp movie? I’d love to hear from you!

Yours Truly,
Vanessa