Johnny Depp isn't ready to call it a career
Johnny Depp would keep himself off the public eye as much as possible, but he attended the 43rd People's Choice Awards last Wednesday. He accepted the Favorite Movie Icon Award. The native of Owensboro, Kentucky, who would turn 54 this year, had a career spanning four decades. He could be a candidate for the Cecil B. DeMille Award, as he would be renowned for the diverse range of characters. Many roles were quirky ones, like "Benny & Joon" (1993), while Captain Jack Sparrow became his signature role. Depp's collaboration with Tim Burton might be his greatest achievement, as he received an Academy Award nomination for the big-screen adaptation of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (2007).
Depp, like any A-list actors, had his share of lemons. However, his recent works prompted showbiz observers to wonder if it was too early to call him a has-been. Don't expect the actor to join the next sequel to "The Expendables" (if Sylvester Stallone is thinking about it). His cameo appearance in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" raised some doubts about this latest franchise by J.K. Rowling. He played Gellert Grindelwald, who was Albus Dumbledore's sworn enemy (aside from Lord Voldemort). Depp would have more screening time in the sequel to "Fantastic Beasts", which won't affect its box-office chances. (Rowling could count on the Harry Potter fans, not to mention the merchandise that grew through the years.) The actor would reprise Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales", the fourth installment in the franchise. Perhaps familiar territory would help him gained what was lost during the last few years. The pirates would be up against superheroes, though. Depp might not afford another flop.
Three reasons to love Johnny Depp
Depp was a smart fellow, as his career would be a mix-up of big-studio hits and critically-acclaimed features. He was barely out of his teens when he filmed "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984), Wes Craven's creepy tale of a restless spirit bent on getting even with his neighbors. Some horror fans compared it to Michael Myers, and they would be right to some extent. (Both films have a cult following, which led to a string of forgettable sequels.) But Craven wasn't a Master of Horror for nothing.
"A Nightmare on Elm Street" revealed an unpleasant side of a suburban neighborhood, where inhabitants rather not rocked the boat. In this case, they have reason to resort to mob violence. (Krueger was a child serial killer who wasn't punished justly due to a technicality in the law.) Craven didn't explore the double standard followed by these people, as he was more interested in what could happen in the unconscious realm. The cast may be overshadowed by Robert Englund, who played Krueger. This was the beginning for Depp, who left "21 Jump Street".
Depp had a small turn in Oliver Stone's "Platoon" and starred in "Cry Baby" by John Waters. The latter could have resulted in another collaboration, which would be like Depp and Burton, but Waters was better off in non-mainstream projects. "Edward Scissorhands" (1990), the first by the Depp-Burton collaboration, would be the actor's most memorable work. He played the worst director ever, even the legendary Jack Ripper. And the Academy voters snubbed him for playing J.M. Barrie. There was something about Edward Scissorhands that could sum up Depp's career. He managed to make the best of both worlds, although his fans would insist that he was more A-list than Tom Hanks. Hollywood loved oddball figures, and Depp could be the poster boy of such characters. He managed to have a long career without any glitches until what happened to him recently.
Depp will appear in Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of "Murder on the Orient Express", and Potter fans will likely see him in the remaining "Fantastic Beasts" pictures. A crossroad isn't far away.
