Where did Johnny Depp go wrong?

Where did it all go wrong, Johnny Depp?

His is the opposite of the Matthew McConaughey story: a downward spiral from quirky, unpredictable performances in acclaimed indies to a slew of blah roles in big-budget Hollywood fare. Depp’s latest, sci-fi thriller “Transcendence,” opens Friday, and it marks his career’s ongoing descent. Our Lou Lumenick gives it one star, deeming it “transcendentally boring.”

Is Johnny just in it for the money these days? Surely not; this is a man who owns his own Bahamian island (thanks in large part to one of his few films that was both mainstream and marvelous: “Pirates of the Caribbean”). Did he simply stop caring? Say it ain’t so! Let’s trace the path of Depp’s decline — and hope someone enlists him in the next “True Detective”-type career redemption vehicle that comes along.

’21 Jump Street’ (1987)

Depp and Peter DeLuisePhoto: Courtesy Everett Collection

Who was that soulful pretty boy playing tortured narc Tom Hanson? Depp came out of nowhere (after being devoured by a bed in a quickie role in 1984’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street”), but quickly garnered a huge following on this seminal Fox drama, which would pave the way for a thousand teen-centric shows to follow.

‘Cry-Baby’ (1990)

Depp and Traci LordsPhoto: Courtesy Everett Collection

Though many expected him to jump at the mainstream film roles being offered thanks to his “Jump Street” success, Depp opted instead to make a splash in this offbeat John Waters film, playing a greaser with a seriously sensitive side.

‘Edward Scissorhands’ (1990)

Depp and Kathy BakerPhoto: Courtesy Everett Collection

Depp teamed up for the first of many collaborations with director Tim Burton in this Goth fairy tale; his performance as the sweet, pointy-fingered Edward cemented his status as the decade’s alterna-dreamboat.

‘Arizona Dream’ (1992)

One of Depp’s weirdest-ever roles was in this surrealist Emir Kusturica film, which saw him starring alongside Faye Dunaway and Jerry Lewis as a man who counts fish for a living.

‘Ed Wood’ (1994)

The actor continued to defy any expectations that he’d become a regular old movie star by pairing up with Burton again to play the cross-dressing B-movie director in this underrated black-and-white comedy.

‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ (1998)

Photo: Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

Depp befriended gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson in preparation for his portrayal of him in this Terry Gilliam movie, which saw him doing a pitch-perfect impression of the drug-addled author in his most famous story.

‘Before Night Falls’ (2000)

Javier Bardem and DeppPhoto: Fine Line Features/Courtesy Everett Collection

It was a relatively small role, but Depp’s turn as a flamboyant cross-dresser named Bon Bon was one of the highlights of Julian Schnabel’s biopic, which starred Javier Bardem as poet Reinaldo Arenas.

‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ (2003)

Depp as Captain Jack SparrowPhoto: Disney

It was the role that took everyone by surprise: eccentric, bohemian Johnny Depp in a Disney movie based on an amusement park ride? The decision seemed antithetical to everything we knew about him, but the joke was on us: His swaggering, Keith Richards-inflected Jack Sparrow was delightful, as was this lighthearted pirate romp.

‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ (2005)

Depp as Willy WonkaPhoto: AP

Once more unto the breach with Tim Burton. Depp’s creepy Willy Wonka made us start to feel the partnership had gone stale, with the weirdness turned up so loud, it was difficult to remember there was a classic Roald Dahl story behind it.

‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ parts 2 and 3 (2006, 2007)

Depp as Jack Sparrow in “Dead Man’s Chest” (2006) and “At World’s End” (2007)Photo: Film still composite

Too much of a good thing: These sequels, which failed to live up to the original, cast a serious pall over the mainstreaming of Depp.

‘The Tourist’ (2010)

Angelina Jolie and DeppPhoto: Film still

Depp and Angelina Jolie? Why not? Oh: Because of movies like this — in which the two stars turned out to have no chemistry and apparently failed to read the script — a half-baked thriller that was released to a critical and popular thud.

‘The Lone Ranger’ (2013)

Photo: Film still

This was the real turning point, the moment Depp’s goofy penchant for overcostuming veered into unintentional caricature — his Tonto was literally wearing a dead bird for a headpiece — and his partnership with Gore Verbinski, who’d done him right in “Pirates” part 1 and in the animated western “Rango,” soured in an overlong, overexpensive and dull disaster of a summer movie.

‘Transcendence’ (2014)

Depp with Rebecca HallPhoto: Peter Mountain/Warner Bros. Pictures

Playing a world-famous artificial intelligence expert who morphs into a humanity-endangering computer entity, Depp plays the role like “Keanu Reeves on Quaaludes,” says Lou Lumenick. Once again, his choice of big-budget fare fell way short of the mark in a sea of clichés and long stretches of nothing much happening. Which, more or less, approximates the last few years of his film work. Here’s hoping for an old-school Depp curveball in 2015, though with “Pirates” and “Alice in Wonderland” sequels in the works, I won’t hold my breath.

What was Johnny Depp's best role?


I have to say I enjoyed all the Pirates 2 & 3 movies and Lone Ranger, and everyone I know loves them too, so I don't know why people are badmouthing them as terrible movies. If they're not YOUR type of movies thats different, and few sequels are ever truly as good as the first, so I dont understand how these are a doenfall to his career.

On top of that, Transendence is a beautiful movie that invokes the true question of Machine Morality. Can a machine understand morals? What if that machine learned them by copying the consciousness of a human? Is code too cold to understand them then? Are morals too ambiguous for a computer even then? And where do morals blur? If you had the power to do so much good, how strong is the moral obligation to do it? And when do the costs of the good outweight the good itself?

It also has a good subplot of the soul of a machine, and whether or not a machine can be "human", and what that really means. It doesnt really answer any of these questions? And leaves it for the viewer to decide. To me, it has much the same vibe as Edward Scissor hands in the questions it holds about the state of humanity vs something new and different.

I admit, Transendence can be boringon the surface, if you're looking for action, or a terminator or I, Robot rewrite you wont find it there, but it is stell a compelling and interesting story.

So I dont know why people say his career is on the downward spiral, or even why these movies are the "proof" of it.


I think Depp catches too much flack for his last 3 Pirates movies and The Lone Ranger. Yes they were weak films but keep in mind that he was more than likely under contract with Disney to make them (or at least a certain number of films of their choosing). Was it foolish for him to place himself under Disney's thumb? Probably, but once you're there all you can do is ride it out until it's over.

Tom Thompson
Tom Thompson

this article is so much b.s. Get a new job.

Ted Brown
Ted Brown

Think about it.... since Angelina Jolie.... 

She's done that to every male actor she's been in movies with....

glechter7 lechter
glechter7 lechter

Johnny needs to watch 100 Seinfeld episodes and hire a Jewish director.  Simple.

John in GA
John in GA

He's a talented actor, but he's picked some bad scripts lately.  "The Lone Ranger" could have been a great movie, had the director not decided to play it for laughs.  Tonto as a dark, mystical bad-ass would have been awesome.  As a dead-bird-feeding weirdo, not so much...

Tommie T
Tommie T

I think it was that bird on top of his head that did him in. As soon as I saw it I realized his career was toast.

But regardless he should just be happy at this point and forget about it.

Walter Miller
Walter Miller

There are no more "movie stars" who can make films popular just by their presence in them. With instant reviews and social media, people know ahead of time what a movie is about and whether people think it stinks or not. No actor can make huge quantities of people say "I don't care how bad everyone says the movie is, I'm going anyway because so and so is in it."


His best movie is Blow. Sooooo good

Arthur Vandelay
Arthur Vandelay

like most actors they're in it for the money and could care less what comes out  Johnny was not a leading role idol type he was more of a drug fueled bit actor


Critics never quite liked his work before Pirates either. I remember well, most of his amazing performance were overlooked for years and years, before they started to look behind and label those performances as "brilliant". But his movies, even Pirates didn't were well received by the critic, so now we are coming back to that point where "What's eating Gilbert Grape" and "Ed Wood" were totally ignored and movies like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (now a cult classic) was ripped by the movie critics and flopped...who says that won't gonna happen with movies like "Transcendence" or "Lone Ranger" in 10 years?. I also think Johnny right now only want to get out of the movies, he has been talking more and more about his retirement and just a week or so he told to CNN that he want to finish his contracts and then take a break. He's in love with an actress, it has to be hard to spend time apart because their works when he earned all the money to not work a day more in his life!, he's about to marry and, likely, he want to expand his family and see his children grow up as he said. 

I think the critics have to stop to make every one of his movies something "important" and as he have to reach an "oscar level" with every performance. This guy only want to have fun and it seems that's why he has been filming so much uncredited work -little parts, cameo roles- in many different movies (Tusk, Lucky Them, London Fields) to not make those movies "important" and then ripped or relevant only because those have his name attached


The down hill slide started when he decided to sell out and do the second Pirates movie. Beginning of the end.

Ysoof Akrouf
Ysoof Akrouf

@Tam Loool, he's had lots of huge success and awards after that. Far from downhill

Share Selection