Johnny Depp recently finished filming La Favorite, a French film about Louis XV, where Depp plays the titular king. It’s set to be released in French theaters in 2023 by Netflix and then will go on the streamer afterward.
Louis XV of France was the king whose spending and decadence set the stage for the French Revolution to occur during his son’s reign. He may be the film’s protagonist, but he’s certainly not the hero. Depp often plays heroes, or at least characters struggling to act heroic, but in such a long filmography, there are instances of him playing the villain.
11 Black Mass (2015)
Whitey Bulger
Black Mass is a biographical drama about the Boston mobster Whitey Bulger, played by Johnny Depp. Bulger led the Winter Hill Gang and used his informant relationship with the FBI to gain total control of the crime in the city.
Depp is terrifying in the role of the unhinged, murderous psychopath. His balding head and pale makeup almost make him look like a ghost, and his quiet, hissing delivery unnerves everyone around him. No better scene showcases this than the dinner scene where Depp toys with his hosts accusing them of giving away secrets before devolving into laughter.
10 The Astronaut’s Wife (1999)
Commander Spencer Armacost
Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron star in the science fiction drama, The Astronaut’s Wife as a married couple. After Depp’s character, Commander Spencer Armacost, returns from a mission in space, his wife notices changes in his personality.
Armacost becomes increasingly aggressive, and Depp deftly switches between charming and sinister as he threatens Theron. He kills multiple people throughout the film, and it isn’t until the end it’s revealed an alien creature has possessed Armacost.
9 Blow (2001)
George Jung
George Jung may be the protagonist of Blow, but his career choices, as well as personal failings, mean that for all the appeal Johnny Depp brings to the part, Jung is still the clear villain of the film. Blow tells the true story of one of the Medellín Cartel’s top drug runners.
For most of the film, Johnny Depp plays Jung as an adventure-seeking daredevil looking to live fast, make money, and take care of his family along the way. But those three objectives prove incompatible, and the last part of the film that sees him jailed and estranged is sobering.
8 Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Edward Ratchett
Johnny Depp only appears briefly in Murder on the Orient Express, based on the world-known Agatha Christie work, but as the mystery is revealed, it becomes clear Edward Ratchett is a despicable character. Depp’s Ratchet is the titular murder of the film, and he dies after one day on the train.
Detective Hercule Poirot discovers that Edward Ratchett is not the victim’s name. Instead, that was just an alias, and John Cassetti was his real name, the kidnapper and murderer of a young girl connected to everyone on the train. Though Depp is long gone when this is found out, it makes rewatching Depp in the role all the more intriguing.
7 Transcendence (2014)
Will Caster
Transcendence is a high-concept sci-fi thriller film about a group of scientists who create a world-ending virus to save it. Johnny Depp plays Will Caster, a scientist who dies early in the movie but is reborn as a hyper-intelligent A.I. capable of controlling humans.
While Caster is not outright evil, the computer’s desire for order and saving the world causes it to create a scenario where he can control the world and stop its environmental destruction. Depp switches between an emotive human and a cold machine effortlessly.
6 Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Captain Jack Sparrow
Captain Jack Sparrow is not a classic villain, he’s probably the central hero for most of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but in the first film, The Curse of the Black Pearl, Sparrow leans much more on the villainous pirate’s side. Viewers may forget some of his more villainous acts.
He captures Elizabeth Swann and ransoms her for his escape, nearly kills Will Turner in a sword fight, and pits the undead pirates and the Royal Navy against each other, so that he can have a shot at the treasure. He may be more hero than villain, but the first film showcases his pirate side, and Johnny Depp’s acting job makes this one of his best films.
5 Secret Window (2004)
Morton Rainey
Secret Window is an adaptation of Stephen King’s novella Secret Window, Secret Garden, and casts Johnny Depp as the lead character, Morton “Mort” Rainey. Mort is a struggling author stalked by a crazed man claiming he’s been plagiarized.
The veteran actor well plays the descent into insanity and fear, and when the big reveal is shown that Mort and his stalker are the same people, Depp easily slips into the killer’s character. The film is held up by Depp’s believable confusion and inward anger.
4 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Sweeney Todd
One only needs to look at the title of Sweeney Todd to know who the villain is. The Demon Barber of Fleet Street does not leave room for interpretation, and Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the barber is alluring and creepy.
Depp masterfully handles his role as a slighted man who takes revenge on everyone who enters his barbershop. His interactions with the Helena Bonham Carter character are multilayered as he feigns love to control her. And Depp also did his own singing for the dark musical film.
3 Public Enemies (2009)
John Dillinger
Michael Mann’s biopic Public Enemies, about the real-life John Dillinger, stars Johnny Depp alongside an all-star cast that includes Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, and Billy Crudup. Depp plays Dillinger as the charismatic Public Enemy #1 he was known as for years.
Depp does not play the famous outlaw as some larger-than-life character. Instead, he keeps him internal and serious, cold even, which is much more believable for a murderous thief and something of a risk for Depp, who manages to remain a star without any showy antics.
2 Into the Woods (2014)
The Big Bad Wolf
In the 2014 musical Into the Woods, based on the 1986 Broadway musical, Johnny Depp gets to sing and adorn himself in makeup and wild costumes. It’s a perfect marriage of two of his favorite things. As the Big Bad Wolf, Depp encounters Red Riding Hood and tries to lead her off the path.
His song, “Hello, Little Girl,” is sung alongside Lilla Crawford, who plays Red Riding Hood. He does an admirable job being physical and animalistic while never straining to sing.
1 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
Gellert Grindelwald
Three actors portray Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, and Johnny Depp takes on the role in the second film, The Crimes of Grindelwald. To viewers’ surprise, he appears near the first film’s end, replacing Colin Farrell.
Depp’s Grindelwald is a multifaceted, evil villain who is not evil just for the sake of being evil. He has seen the subjugation of wizards by muggles and wants to reverse that world order. He is sadistic and violent, but he can also be incredibly charming and convincing, two sides of the character that Depp can bring together in his performance.
