Johnny Depp's Top 10 Performances

by Andrea Miller and Emma Badame - Cineplex Entertainment

Arguably the coolest guy to hit Hollywood since James Dean, Johnny Depp’s career choices have never been those of the typical Hollywood hunk but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming one of the most popular and talented actors of our generation. He’s run the gamut from camp to creepy to comedic to crazy and each seems a completely natural fit, which makes it that much harder to narrow down his best into a list of just ten! But we did it...now let’s see if you agree!

10. Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker in Cry-Baby (1990)

So the guy can do drama like nobody’s business but proved he also knew when to get all camp for this kitschy John Waters romantic-comedy-musical that didn’t hold back when sending up his teen idol good looks. Waters’ contribution to the star-crossed lovers’ canon was strange, lewd and hilarious in equal measure and mercilessly satirized the teenaged badass culture of the ‘50s, here separated into the drapes, the squares and the nerds. When good girl Allison falls for the Cry-Baby himself, tear on cheek and all, it creates a divide between the two worlds, with both sets of parents wildly disapproving. Between fits of rock ‘n’ roll madness, including cameos by Iggy Pop and singer Polly Bergen, and Elvis-inspired gyrations, Depp knocks this one out of the park.

9. Gilbert Grape in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)

This Lasse Hallström film told the story of a quietly fracturing family, barely being held together by eldest son Gilbert Grape, which Depp plays with restraint and hushed intensity. A selfish caretaker to his severely obese mother and mentally challenged younger brother (a revelatory Leonardo DiCaprio), Gilbert manages to stave off boredom by having an affair with a married woman but that all changes when the luminous, free-spirited Becky (Juliette Lewis) rolls into his tiny one-street town. Her arrival re-awakens his unrealized dreams and emphasizes his severe lack of mobility and forces Gilbert to consider his own happiness – maybe the first time.

8. Sam in Benny & Joon (1993)

On the surface, this offbeat story of two societal misfits meeting and falling in love is a simple one. A romantic comedy with a happy, sentimental, too-neat ending. But look closer and you'll see one of the best performances of Depp's impressive career. With echoes of his misunderstood outcast in Edward Scissorhands, Sam lives in a world of his own creation - preferring the clown-like antics of classic silent comedians to the harsh and depressing realities of everyday life - and Depp positively shines when his character discovers he's not alone. Throughout the film Depp meticulously and brilliantly re-creates routines by both Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton and brings to each an amazing physicality and a genuine sense of discovery. Although the role is considered to one of the lightest in his repertoire, it's also one of his best.

7. Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Although the part was originally offered to Brad Pitt, it's hard to picture anyone else but Depp in the role of the squeamish yet curious police constable investigating the case of the infamous Headless Horseman. The film marked Depp's third collaboration with inventive director Tim Burton and like the two films that came before, their natural camaraderie on-set manifests itself in a truly comedic yet haunting take on Washington Irving's classic tall tale of things that go bump in the night. Depp manages to infuse the cartoonish and bumbling Crane with a childlike innocence one second and an efficient and disconcerting bluntness the next. His performance is the whole package and though Sleepy Hollow is a veritable feast for the senses - the cinematography and special effects show Burton at his otherworldy best - it's Depp, at equal turns heartfelt and hilarious, that makes this film a must-see.

6. George Jung in Blow (2001)

Bringing this real-life story to the big-screen, Depp stars as an opportunistic young man who helped establish the American cocaine market in the ‘70s. The film spans some 30-odd years as George goes from an enterprising marijuana dealer to a powerful drug lord in an effort to avoid the hand-to-mouth life his parents endured. With a supporting cast that includes some seriously lovely ladies (Franka Potente and Penelope Cruz), screen veteran Ray Liotta and even Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens), Blow is a cautionary tale about the ravages of drug use and trafficking that Depp largely carried on his tanned shoulders.

5. Edward D. Wood Jr. in Ed Wood (1994)

Anyone who thought Depp still had anything to prove to the industry was silenced by his riveting portrayal of the cult-film director in this comedic bio-pic. The production marked his second collaboration with Tim Burton and firmly established that their first successes were far from being flukes. Depp conveys a kind of intense optimism in his character’s every move and has said he based his quirky upbeat portrayal around the confident and breezy speech of Casey Kasem and Ronald Reagan. He manages to tread the fine line between parody and satire and completely avoids the perilous descent into caricature. Not an easy feat considering the larger-than-life subject. Martin Landau, in a supporting role as Bela Lugosi, received the lion’s share of accolades and praise for the film, including an Oscar, but Depp’s riveting performance deserves equal attention.

4. Sweeney Todd/Benjamin Barker in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

His generous acting range brings to mind an almost endless variety of possible
roles, but a lead in a Hollywood musical? Not something that would've seemed likely. But once you factor in the visual genius of Tim Burton (directing Depp for the sixth time) and add in the theatrical compositions of Stephen Sondheim and you begin to see the delightfully wicked possibilities. As the titular English barber who takes bloody revenge on the world around him, Depp throws himself into complicated role with abandon. He revels in Todd's murderous rage, constantly bubbling just beneath the surface, and uses every note and syllable to convey the heartbreak and bitterness that has led this ordinary man to commit extraordinary evil. His vocals, void of overdone showy Broadway antics, showcase Sondheim's unusual melodies at their very best and with them, Depp proves that musicals are yet another genre he can tackle with amazing success.

3. Raoul Duke in Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Talk about inhabiting a role. Depp got way gonzo to portray Hunter S. Thompson stand-in Raoul Duke, the mescaline-happy, journalist-boozehound whose hallucinogenic experiences, detailed in Thompson’s book by the same name, provide the movie’s trippy story. Depp took up residence in the basement of Thompson’s farm, allowed the writer to shave his head in the cul-de-sac style and traded his car for Thompson’s Impala, aka the Great Red Shark, to prepare for the role. Directed by Terry Gilliam, the film is a wild, spooky ride with Depp’s loopy Raoul leading the way in a memorable role that almost makes you forget he’s so damn handsome. Almost.

2. Edward in Edward Scissorhands (1990)

"Johnny, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Or at least that's what I like to imagine Tim Burton said to Depp upon casting him as the unfinished creation with scissors for hands. The role of the artificial being who could feel love became Depp's breakthrough role and re-watching it now, it's no wonder. The actor calls to mind silent screen legends of the past, particularly Charlie Chaplin, as he conveys staggering depths of emotion and wonder through a simple glance or a gesture. Depp originally lobbied for the complicated role to help shake off his teen idol, “21 Jump Street”-inspired image and it's safe to say that rarely has anyone before or since managed to accomplish that feat with such resounding success.

1. Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)


Admit it; you never saw this one coming. The formerly bratty celeb who was gossip fodder thanks to trashed hotel rooms and serial engagements in the ‘90s was perhaps the least likely to break out as a star in a film franchise based on a Disney theme park ride. And yet, once again, Depp rose to the challenge, chewing scenery with abandon as the foppish, Lothario-cum-pirate with the kohl-rimmed eyes. Nevermind that the follow-up sequels were nowhere near as impressive as the debut, Depp created a true original with Captain Jack Sparrow (a famous amalgam of Pepe Le Peu and Keith Richards, apparently) and was introduced to an entirely new, equally zealous, fanbase.

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