Day 19 - Who is your favorite actor?
Answer: Johnny Depp
It's probably not a popular opinion, but I'm going to go with Johnny Depp for this challenge's answer. I don't know. I know some people are big fans of his. I know some people seem to think that he hasn't been so great recently. Sure. He has a tendency to over-act when it comes to some of his weirder roles. I know sometimes people get tired of seeing him play over-the-top characters. Maybe some of his more recent films have been hit or miss for some people. Some roles that seem like they would've been good fits end up becoming dull and boring like his portrayal of The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland (though I might want to chalk that up to whatever direction Burton gave him). I guess I've always been a big fan of Depp's work. I hold him up there with a bunch of my favorite actors like Al Pacino, Anthony Hopkins, Samuel L. Jackson, and Robert Englund.
He's usually known for some of his more outlandish roles and the crazy make-up jobs done in order for him to fully embody the character he becomes. Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean films is his most popular role. I've always been more fond of his more grounded roles. I think Johnny Depp is one of the best actors when it comes to mobster films. His portrayal of John Dillinger in the film Public Enemies is fantastic and he really brings out the charisma of the notorious bank robber. The more recent film Black Mass proves he's still got it in him with his chilling performance as Whitey Bulger. Depp got cast in one of my favorite musicals too and it kind of fit into Burton's wheelhouse. I'm talking Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Not to mention, his first film role was in my favorite horror movie of all time, A Nightmare on Elm Street.
There aren't many of his films that I don't like. I can't say I've seen every single one of them. I've seen most of his work. Off the top of my head, if I had to pick one film of his that I can honestly say I don't much care for... it would be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I didn't like that one. I wasn't a fan of his portrayal of the character of Willy Wonka. I think his acting was good. I think he probably did the best with what he was given. I just didn't really care for it. Making Willy Wonka feel like a socially awkward home-schooled kid rather than the eccentric weirdo Gene Wilder had done was a complete misstep in my opinion. Other than that? Eh, I don't know. I like most of Depp's work. Sometimes even if the movie he is in isn't great, I usually walk away from the film feeling like I enjoyed his role in it. Anyways, that's my pick for my favorite actor.
