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Alright, here's the thing. I know a lot of you have grown to despise Johnny Depp over the years. Or if not despise him then simply just not think of him at all. And that's understandable. He's had some tremendous film flops over the past decade. And he keeps pumping out Pirate films so fast that I'm sure someone wants to just kick him below deck.
Now, the reasons for hatred have a lot to do with the accusations of alleged violence towards Amber Heard. To be fair, not one of us actually knows what happened. There is photographic evidence of the event, but none of us can say for sure that it was Depp. And if it was, it has already been dealt with legally. Which is more than anyone can say for people like Kevin Spacey or any countless others who have been accused of the same.
No matter which side you come down on here with Johnny Depp, I'm going to give you 20 reasons to love him or leave him. You've got 10 reasons why he should stick around, and 10 reasons why he should simply be cancelled and run out of Hollywood. Ultimately, it's not up to any of us, but it's always interesting to look at both sides. So dig in, and see what you think about Depp afterwards.
Cancelled - How He Treated Amber Heard
So, there are obviously always at least two sides to every story. This one is a bit more important simply because it has to do with domestic violence. Now, before Depp and Amber Heard got divorced, Heard came forward with allegations that Depp had hit her.
Now, apparently, their disputes were not some sort of secret thing. They apparently even fought on set. Often. The black eye was allegedly caused by a thrown phone. Now, I will not say that Heard was lying. I don't know which of them is telling the truth (Depp denies that event). What I will say though is that any talk on Heard's part about it ended as soon as the couple filed for divorce. This means that one way or another, the issue was dealt with legally.
Keep Him - Corpse Bride
This might be one of the very last awesome films that Johnny Depp has put out there...with the exception of Black Mass, of course. There's something of the old Tim Burton/Johnny Depp mix that really comes out in this animated film.
It's not like Alice In Wonderland where Depp just seemingly goes bonkers and Tim Burton just seemingly lets him. This movie had substance and didn't just rely on special effects. The character work by both Depp and constant acting partner Helena Bonham Carter is wonderful. I get it if this wasn't your kind of film. But it's definitely the kind of film that should keep Depp working in Hollywood. Especially since this piece forced Depp to focus on the voice and not the crazy actions.
Cancelled - Attitude On Set
I'm not sure if any of you knew this but apparently, Johnny Depp is a terrible person on set. At least when it comes to the Pirates films. “Sources close to the production report tales of excessive drinking, physical fights with Heard and constant lateness on set, which often left hundreds of extras waiting for hours at a time,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Now, I don't know if you've ever worked as an extra, but I have. You will always be waiting for hours at a time before you get up on set or get in a shot. That's nothing new. Being drunk on set could be a "method acting" thing. Fights with Heard and being late though...that's not excusable. That's just very unprofessional and shouldn't be tolerated. but because of his name...it is.
Keep Him - Edward Scissorhands
For some reason, Johnny Depp and Tim Burton used to have one of the greatest film relationships of all time. Together, they made incredibly iconic and quirky films that people have loved the world over for decades.
Edward Scissorhands is no exception to this. This is probably one of the defining films of Depp and Burton...I also think it was their very first projects together. Maybe the magic just got a little too crazy as they went on and got to films like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice In Wonderland. Either way, roles like this are why Depp should be allowed to stay. Everyone has a bad patch now and again. Granted, it doesn't usually last more than a decade, but you never know when he might turn a new leaf and come out with a new box office smash!
Cancelled - Broke
I get why he keeps doing awful Pirates films. It's because since he's stuck to the franchise, he knows he'll be racking in a good deal of money. And since it seems pretty clear that he's running out of money, it's a good thing that he's bothered to stick around with Disney to make film after film after film as Captain Jack Sparrow. The first film was great but...how many do they have now? Six? Too many no matter what the number is.
Of course, Depp's money issues aren't exactly the fault of anyone but him. I mean, he spent $5 million just to launch Hunter S. Thompson from a cannon over the desert. He spends about $3.6 million on staffing costs every year. He spends $30,000 on wine every month, (wow) and his total monthly bills are somewhere around $2 million!
Keep Him - A Nightmare On Elm
Sure, this was his very first film and a lot of people may not have liked it, or a lot of readers here may not have ever even seen it. But I encourage you to. It'll change your opinion of Johnny Depp, I think.
Seeing him so young as an innocent is very interesting. It reminds you that he wasn't always the quirky superstar he has become. He comes from a place of humility. And he wasn't handed his career. He tried to make it as a rock musician and failed pretty quickly after dropping out of school. Then, having managed to meet a friend of a friend (Nicolas Cage), he was encouraged to start going into acting. The rest is history. He wasn't hand-held into the business. All he needed was the idea of being an actor.
Cancelled - Too Many Tim Burton Films
I think if you total up the list of films that Depp and Burton have done together, you get something like 9 films. That seems small, doesn't it? It seems like there have been a million of them because of how incredibly flashy and in-your-face they are. Especially when it comes to him playing Willy Wonka or the Mad Hatter. You can't get those sorts of images out of your head...but it's not a good thing.
They aren't memorable roles because of how awesome they were, but only because of how strange and bizarre and cringey they were. I think that as Burton and Depp continued to do films together, they latched on to the worst parts of each other to create worse and worse films. Which is too bad because Edward Scissorhands and Sleepy Hollow were pretty awesome.
Keep Him - Visiting Kids Hospital
I don't care what you think of Johnny Depp, this is something that you can't say is bad for him to do. Tons of kids love the Pirates of the Caribbean films and Depp went out of his way to make an appearance at a Vancouver kids hospital to visit all of the patients. And when I say "all of the patients", I mean every single child who wanted to see Depp got to see him and meet him.
The hospital expected him to stay for a couple of hours and then move on. Nope. He stayed the whole day until every single child there got to meet him and take pictures with him. All while dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow. Say what you want about him, but this was a very sweet thing to do. Sure, his showing up won't heal the kids, but getting them to smile and laugh is always helpful in that process.
Cancelled - The Suffering Of His Dogs
When shooting one of the Pirates of the Caribbean films in Australia, Depp smuggled his two little dogs into the country. I'm not sure if he was aware that he was smuggling them, but he brought them over on a flight and managed to get them to the hotel easily enough. It turns out that pets have to be quarantined when they're brought into the country so that they don't disease any other species and cause big issues with the native flora and fauna.
The prime minister of Australia, at the time, spoke out on the news saying that the dogs had a timer to get out of the country or else they would be forcibly put down in order to protect Australia. That might seem a bit much and it kind of makes the prime minister a little annoying too, but Depp should have known better. Obviously, he got his dogs out of country in time.
Keep Him - Emotionally Vulnerable
As wild, wacky, and weird as Johnny Depp can be, there is no mistaking the fact that he can really invest his life into a role and he can fill it with all sorts of emotional power. He is an incredibly sensitive guy. Or at least he can play incredibly sensitive guys.
Edward is one of the perfect examples. His lack of understanding of "regular" society makes him trust easily, but then also makes him fail constantly, and he struggles to live with people in a way that I think many people cling to, as they realize their own struggles to fit into the moulds of society. Then if you look at Ichabod Crane, he is guarded but you see his awkward vulnerability continually come forward throughout the quirky film. Even Jack Sparrow has his moments.
Cancelled - He Didn't Want Women Villains
I find this actually very strange because Depp's reasoning for this argument actually just makes no sense whatsoever. The original script for the last Pirates movie, Dead Mean Tell No Tales, called for a main female villain. This was eventually changed and we saw the appearance of Javier Bardem.
Now, what I really don't get is that Depp's reasoning for not going with the female villain angle was that it would make his film Dark Shadows redundant because it also had a female villain. I don't really get that at all. For those of you who have seen Dark Shadows, it came out in 2012. Dead Men Tell No Tales came out in 2017! That's five years of obviously-no-one-gives-a-flying-Dutchman-damn! How could it possibly matter, five years down the road, whether or not there was a leading female villain?
Keep Him - Once Upon A Time He Was Awesome
For those of you who have seen the sequel to Desperado, you'll know what I mean. Johnny Depp was both awesome and hilarious in Once Upon A Time In Mexico. Sure, he eventually dies likely because of his eyes being removed. But he's badass right until the end. And even when he loses his eyes, he's still hilarious.
The infamous line in the cab after the driver asks if Depp can see the rioting people "I can't see f*ck-mook! I have no eyes." is just priceless! Now, the movie is pretty violent and crude and might not be to everyone's taste, but the fact that Depp can get down and dirty in roles like that proves that he's got an ability to play all sorts of roles and there's something to be said for that.
Cancelled - Potter Fans Are Pissed
Depp appeared in one of the Fantastic Beasts films as Grindelwald. He is now getting his own solo film all about how much of a villain he is called The Crimes of Grindelwald. There are a ton of Harry Potter fans who are losing their minds over this and calling for Depp to be recast. Some people use the excuse that they just don't like him as an actor, but for the most part, the reasoning behind the fans wanting him out is because of the allegations of abuse; the notion that Johnny Depp hit ex-wife Amber Heard.
Now, whether or not the allegations are true, J.K. Rowling and producers have decided to back Johnny Depp simply because the issue has already been resolved legally between Depp and Heard. Do you think he should be pulled from the film?
Keep Him - Doesn't Care About The Oscars
There's something to be said about actors who actually don't give a damn about the Oscars. I'm actually, unfortunately, a part of an Oscar Night event this year and I have to be totally honest, I don't care at all about what celebs get what awards for what movies. A group of people sit and decide certain people get awards. They all spend millions of dollars on dresses and suits and gifts, and then that's it. I think it's boring.
Johnny Depp doesn't care about them either. He's been nominated, but his take on the whole awards thing was “I don’t want to win one of those things ever, you know. I don’t want to have to talk. The idea of winning means that you’re in competition with someone and I’m not in competition with anybody. They gave me one of those things, like a nomination, two or three times. A nomination is plenty." He says he just cares about the work.
Cancelled - Too Many Pirate Movies
Holy hell. There are so many of these damned films now I don't even know what to do. I think it was the third one that featured a woman turning into a giant and then turning into a pile of crabs...I'm not sure if that was meant to signify something really dirty or not, but it looked like garbage either way. They're lucky that they still manage to rope kids into watching these films and that they still land some big-time celebrity names...but they need to stop making these movies.
Pirates of the Caribbean was a great film. It made sense, it had a nice clear story. It came to an end. Thank you very much. But five of these damn things? It's like the SAW franchise except with better actors and not as much mindless and useless gore.
Keep Him - Sleepy Hollow
If you guys haven't seen Sleepy Hollow before, then get on that. It's one of the good films that Johnny Depp and Tim Burton made together. It has a pretty awesome star-studded cast. It has Michael Gambon, Jeffery Jones, Christina Ricci, Christopher Walken...it's got a good cast. Anyway, it is one of those hilariously quirky films while still sort of being a horror film, while still being sort of an interesting romance. And they all work together because...well, that's sort of life.
Quirky, horrifying, and sometimes interestingly romantic. So, why not throw in some mythical stuff like a headless horseman and some witchcraft? It makes for a wonderful combination and a great film. It's work like this that makes me think that Depp should stick around and get some better films out there again.
Cancelled - Tonto
Ok...what? The Lone Ranger? Really? Who would remake this and then stick Johnny Depp into the role of the Native American sidekick? I'll tell you one very important thing to start...he's definitely not Native American. That's just a fact. Like, maybe somewhere waaaaay back in the day. But not enough that it matters.
Granted, his character looks pretty cool, but when you find out that he's just a total dunce in the film and you spend most of your time laughing at him or cringing at him, you discover that maybe someone else should have taken that role. I mean, besides the fact that he's not Native American, I think it looks bad on Depp that he's the one making this Native character look completely ridiculous.
Keep Him - The Right Kind Of Crazy
Johnny Depp is definitely the right kind of crazy. Do you want to know an actor who is the wrong kind of crazy but never seems to get the boot out of Hollywood? Nicolas Cage. That man is the wrong kind of crazy and yet he gets roles all over the place! Johnny Depp is the right kind of crazy. Imagine if Cage tried to play Edward Scissorhands, or Ichabod Crane, or even Sweeney Todd! You can't! And if you can, you understand that it's an awful thing to think about.
Depp has this ability to play the strangest of characters and while we recognize that it's very odd and very out there...we also accept that he can play them, and well. I may not have liked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Alice In Wonderland but he definitely played those character the way they needed to be played for the style of the films.
Cancelled - Wonderland
This makes me want to sigh very heavily. Now, Johnny Depp and Tim Burton have long been friends and have done some great work together. But do you want to know at least one film that they didn't do all that well together on? Alice In Wonderland. This is also one of those Burton films that feature Helena Bonham Carter as well. This is something like the quirky dream team or the bizarre dream team...or maybe now it's the nightmare team.
Either way, Depp plays the right character for the style of the film but I think that Depp's weirdness allows Burton to go even farther out there into the bizarre and vice versa. I think that they both pull from each other and don't stop to think that maybe they're going too far.
Keep Him - Flops
You know, in spite of all the film flops that Johnny Depp has been a part of in the past decade or more...I have to say that he should still be allowed to keep plugging away in Hollywood. Why? Well, there's always the chance for a comeback like with awesome films such as Black Mass. And beyond that, Hollywood still has people like Nicolas Cage!
If Hollywood can keep that guy around doing all of the ridiculous stuff he does in every other film, then surely we can keep Johnny Depp, even if he does another 4 Pirates movies and ruins the "Potter-verse" for fans. I mean, the worst he can do is get more bizarre...but I don't think he'll ever be as crazy up as Cage. And since it was Cage who told Depp to start acting, maybe cut Depp a little slack.
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