Out of the box

[attach id="248956" size="medium"]Johnny Depp in Chocolat.[/attach]

I’m still trying to figure out how come I’ve never regaled you with tales about Johnny Depp, “the actor who can do no wrong”.

What had started out as a girlish crush back in 1990, when Depp appeared in Edward Scissorhands, grew consistently over the years and was transformed into a respect and admiration for an actor who has never bowed to the pressures of Hollywood to take part in rubbish roles.

But let’s start from the very beginning. You may be wondering why on earth a 15-year-old girl (remove those calculators, please) would get a crush on an actor portraying a decidedly over-pale humanoid with scissors instead of hands. Hardly the heartthrob that tended to gain popularity with the teens, you’ll be forgiven for thinking.

The character of Raoul Duke propelled him into the big leagues

But you would be wrong. As a hero, Depp’s character possessed all those character traits guaranteed to tug at the heart strings of any impressionable teen. Totally defenceless, super kindhearted and sporting a tragical, semi-martyred look – the right ingredients to make any self-respecting teen go “awww”.

Which is not to take away anything from the merits of the film itself. Tim Burton’s visual, gothic extravaganza had a lot more merit than any “awww” factor Depp could endow it with. Testament to this is a long list of cinematographic success that followed.

But Depp undeniably turned out to be perfectly cast. He went on to make a series of delightful movies that were ideally placed to establish him as a teenage big- screen idol. That is, in fact, what happened before he graduated to films that would become classics.

Not that I’m taking anything away from the delightful teenage offerings – what distinguished the likes of Benny & Joon ( directed by the beautifully eccentric Jeremiah Chechik in 1993) and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (directed by Lasse Hallström, also in 1993) from, say, latter-day teenage efforts like The Princess Diaries and Clueless, is the element of quirky that permeates the story-line in both.

The traditional elements are all there, from the love angle to the usual obstacles, a lightly humorous touch and so on and so forth.

However, the situations surrounding them are so untraditional that the story remains in your heart.

Depp’s career took a leap with Terry Gilliam’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (though Donnie Brasco, a couple of years before that, certainly contributed).

Suddenly, Depp wasn’t the happy-go-lucky actor enjoying happy-go-lucky roles.

The character of Raoul Duke propelled him into the big leagues. Audiences hated the film’s gratuitious violence and the character’s amoral, psychotic personality. Controversy raged; Depp’s reputation was sealed.

After that, Depp didn’t really need to make much effort choosing roles. His long-term collaboration with Burton ensured he always had first pickings from the quirky characters Burton is known for creating, and which Depp loves so much. From Alice in Wonderland to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride (voice), Depp’s reputation with the typical cult classic follower was sealed.

On the more mainstream front, his contribution to movies like Blow, Secret Window and The Libertine ensured that he kept his spot with the A-listers.

Then, of course, came Pirates of the Carribean. To be sure, his is a silly role as Captain Jack Sparrow. To be sure, I’m willing to bet that the role acquired less acting skills than just acting goofy on set, something Depp is renowned for. But, boy, did he manage to make that character his own.

I conclude this ode to Depp with a reference to one of my favourite movies of his – Chocolat. The film owes its magical success to many factors, including Juliette Binoche’s talent, the lovely soundtrack and director Hallström’s vision. And it features copious amounts of chocolate, of course.

Falling in love is pretty inevitable.

rdepares@timesofmalta.com