Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is a truly iconic character, but the part, which Depp played in five movies, prevented the actor from taking on more original roles. Traversing the cinema landscape from teen idol to indie star, the Disney films catapulted the actor into mega-stardom, a level he had not quite reached until that time. While the actor is known for collaborations with Tim Burton and his Oscar-nominated role, though Depp has never won an Academy Award, in the British drama Finding Neverland, one generally overlooked genre featured throughout his filmography is the mob drama.
Depp’s dramatic acting chops flourished in 1997 when he went toe to toe with Al Pacino in the real-life-inspired mob thriller Donnie Brasco, which follows an undercover FBI agent who identifies with mob life. In 2009, he would bring bank-robbing gangster John Dillinger to life in the period piece Public Enemies. In 2015, Depp earned a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of merciless Boston crime kingpin Whitey Bulger in Black Mass. Other fascinatingly complex criminals Depp has brought to the big screen include cocaine king George Jung in Blow and a corrupt CIA agent in Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
When Jack Sparrow broke out in 2003 and became a pop culture extravaganza, Depp signed on for multiple sequels, which became less and less well-received – with some Pirates films criticized by actor Brian Cox. He thoroughly enjoyed the charming pirate role, claiming he would continue donning the dreadlocks for as long as Disney asked him to. Collaborations outside of Burton’s costume-clad characters and pirates became rare. What stands out in his acting resume are his infrequent forays into gangster films, proving that Depp has the grit and the charm to play edgier roles. He is charming as George Jung, electrifying as a traditional leading man in Public Enemies, and downright cruel in Black Mass. Though many fans flock to his work with Disney, it’s evident that he is just as at home playing criminals and mob bosses as he is portraying pirates and Mad Hatters, but with an extra layer of emotional weight. The fact that his mob movie roles are so limited arguably proves that Depp dedicated far too much time to Sparrow.
Depp tried to get himself fired from 21 Jump Street to escape teen idol status and take on more creative pursuits. Had Depp taken on a couple more mob-centric movies or hooked up with the right collaborator like Martin Scorsese, he would have reached the ranks of Pacino or Robert De Niro, who have made careers out of playing criminals. Depp evidently has the range to be tough while displaying a sensitive and conflicting side of himself. However, the Pirates series simply became too easy and lucrative for him, so this potential mob-actor image was cast aside and buried under bright costumes and funny accents.
Given the poor reception of many of Depp’s movies in recent years, starting with his cameo in Jack and Jill, and ongoing allegations of abuse, it seems unlikely his career will resurge anytime soon. He has frequently mentioned that he hopes to step away from acting, though the right role would likely lure him back. Depp has even stated that his performance in Black Mass is a personal favorite of his, while Donnie Brasco often tops lists ranking his best films. Johnny Depp will never escape the image of Captain Jack Sparrow, but where his heart, acclaim, and chops seem to lie is not with being a pirate, but instead, being a mobster in crime dramas.
