Johnny Depp: Unstoppable Star Power From Jack Sparrow to Whitey Bulger

Summary: Johnny Depp exudes unstoppable star power in carefully crafted roles and places fourth in the Numbers Bankability Index™ for August 2015.

Johnny Depp at press conference of Black Mass, 2015 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Monday, September 14, 2015: GabboT, CC BY SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Did anyone ever see Johnny Depp (born June 9, 1963) coming while he whiled his time as a teen idol for four seasons on 21 Jump Street, a police procedural TV series of 103 episodes airing from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991?

The young Kentuckian displayed his commitment to acting by turning in performances that delighted his fans and by honoring his contract despite his personal disenchantment with the series’ branding, intrusive publicity that he felt turned him into a product.

With release from his Jump Street contract, Johnny set about carving a career based upon roles of interest to him rather than upon potential for box office success. In 1984 Johnny appeared in his first feature film role as Glen Lantz, nightmare-tormented victim of vengeful ghost Fred “Freddy” Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street, the first in a series of nine slasher films created by birdwatcher and horror film actor/director/producer/writer Wesley “Wes” Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015).

Johnny’s sixth film role, as Edward Scissorhands in the 1990 romantic dark fantasy film Edward Scissorhands by Tim Burton (born Aug. 25, 1958), proved the charm for Johnny. The film’s critical and commercial success established Johnny as a leading Hollywood actor and kicked off more than two decades of close friendship with Tim Burton and collaborative roles in the quirky director-producer’s films, from Ed Wood in 1994 to upcoming Alice Through the Looking Glass, set for release May 27, 2016.

Three films featuring Johnny Depp were scheduled for theatrical release or festival debut in 2015.

Mortdecai, an action comedy film directed by David Koepp (born June 9, 1963), was released Jan. 23, 2015. Mortdecai has been declared a box office bomb.

Friday, Sept. 18, 2015, is the worldwide theatrical release date for Black Mass. The true crime drama is directed by Scott Cooper (born April 20, 1970). Black Mass premiered Friday, Sept. 4, 2015, at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival.

Friday, Sept. 18, 2015, is also the scheduled debut for London Fields, a noir crime thriller directed by Mathew Cullen (born ca. 1977), at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival, held Sept. 10–20, 2015. On Thursday, Sept. 17, London Fields was pulled from the festival’s film list because of an uncertain creative vision, occasioned by Mathew Cullen’s lawsuit, filed Tuesday, Sept. 15, in Los Angeles Superior Court and claiming fraudulent revisions to the film by its producers.

Johnny Depp’s star power derives from charismatic, memorable, quirky performances as lead actor in 34 films with worldwide aggregate box receipts of $7,244,689,129.

The Numbers Bankability Index™ for August 2015 recognizes the value brought to the film industry by Johnny Depp. His fourth-place ranking situates Johnny Depp between Brad Pitt in third place and Tom Cruise in fifth place.

Johnny Depp plunges into his roles, sometimes disappearing altogether into his carefully crafted characterizations.

Such especially is the case in his role in Black Mass (released Sept. 18, 2015). As true life mobster, James “Whitey” Bulger Jr. (born Sept. 3, 1929), Johnny masks his photogenic face with silicone prosthetics and his tousled hair with a receding hairline wig. He hides his expressive brown eyes under icy blue contact lenses and unsettles his smile with off-putting, stained teeth.

Perhaps Johnny Depp’s unique mystique as a privacy-prizing individual and as an impassioned actor may be best deciphered by Marlon Brando’s advice and by Johnny’s faith.

Method actor Marlon Brando (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004), with whom Johnny acted in Don Juan de Marco (1994) and The Brave (1997), advised that “Life is a birdsong,” i.e., short, so make the most of each moment.

On Oct. 16, 2011, as guest on Larry King Live, Johnny exemplified his personal faith as expressed in his belief in his two children, Lily-Rose Melody (born May 27, 1999) and John “Jack” Christopher III (born April 9, 2002), and in his belief that “. . . as long as you keep moving forward, just keep walking forward, things will be all right.”

Johnny Depp (left) and Tom Cruise (right) flank mega-hit producer Jerry Bruckheimer at ceremony honoring Top Gun/Pirate of the Caribbean producer with star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, June 24, 2013: Angela George, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Johnny Depp at press conference of Black Mass, 2015 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Monday, September 14, 2015: GabboT, CC BY SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Mass_PC_34_(21429307126).jpg?uselang=it

Johnny Depp (left) and Tom Cruise (right) flank mega-hit producer Jerry Bruckheimer at ceremony honoring Top Gun/Pirate of the Caribbean producer with star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, June 24, 2013: Angela George, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JohnnyDeppJerryBruckheimerTomCruiseHWOFJune2013.jpg?uselang=it

For further information:

“Bankability Index for August, 2015.” The Numbers® > The Numbers Bankability Index™.
Available @ http://www.the-numbers.com/bankability

“Larry King Special: Johnny Depp.” CNN > Transcripts > Larry King Live. Aired October 16, 2011.
Available @ http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1110/16/lkl.01.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Tom Cruise's Star Power Revives Doug Limon Sci Fi Project Luna Park." Earth and Space News. Friday, Sept. 11, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/09/tom-cruises-star-power-revives-doug.html

Whitaker, Sam A. Johnny Depp: Kentucky & Hollywood. Data Stream Books, 2015.