One of the most successful actors in Hollywood, Johnny Depp has built a career by relying on his undeniable talent. Refusing to conform and give in to the labels that the industry has tried to place on him, Depp has played a range of characters that mean something to him, whether they were popular with the masses or not.
When it comes to Depp’s most well-known film roles, some of the characters he has played have been better than others. A whole range of factors has influenced how much we love the roles, including how good or evil the characters are, what film they appear in, and how Depp portrayed them.
From Edward Ratchett to John Dillinger to Willy Wonka, here is our ranking of Johnny Depp’s 20 most popular film roles from worst to best.
20The Worst: Raoul Duke Has None Of Depp’s Regular Charm
Johnny Depp has played a huge variety of characters during his extensive career. But no matter what character he plays, he usually brings a sense of charisma to the role. There was none of that regular Depp charm with Raoul Duke in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a journalist who takes recreational drugs.
19Once Upon A Time In Mexico’s Sands Is An Awful Character
Depp himself said that CIA officer Sheldon Sands was based on a man he used to know in Hollywood that was “fascinating to watch” but was always “aiming to [betray you].” Sands is certainly a fascinating character to watch but also lacks the charm that many of Depp’s other characters have.
18We’re Kind Of Glad Edward Ratchett Was Murdered
Edward Ratchett might be the victim of the infamous murder on the Orient Express, but he’s also a serious criminal himself, having been responsible for a series of murders and kidnappings at the time of his death. So, as far as Johnny Depp characters go, he’s one our least favorite.
17Unfortunately For Frank Tupelo, The Tourist Did Not Rate Highly
Frank Tupelo doesn’t rank poorly on our list because he’s a despicable character. Actually, Depp has played far eviler characters than Frank. The problem with this character is that it’s so hard to like him because the plot of The Tourist is so confusing. Despite the complicated plot, Depp and Angelina Jolie both won Teen Choice Awards for their roles.
16Depp Knows How To Play A Gangster Like John Dillinger
Throughout his successful career, Johnny Depp has played good guys, bad guys, and characters that fall somewhere in the middle. In 2009, he portrayed John Dillinger in the film Public Enemies. Dillinger was a notorious bank robber and gangster and Depp did a great job of playing the real figure.
15Sweeney Todd Really Is A Demon Barber
Depp’s performance in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was fantastic. Everything from the costumes to the musical numbers were great. But we can’t bring ourselves to rate this character—a barber who murders his clients out of revenge—highly on our list because he’s just so evil.
14Depp’s Willy Wonka Was Not As Popular As The Original
Willy Wonka is one of the greatest characters in children’s literature. While we loved Depp’s performance in the remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the truth is the modern version was not as popular as the original adaptation of Roald Dahl’s story, which featured Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka.
13If Anybody Can Play A Wolf, It’s Johnny Depp
Nobody can deny that Johnny Depp has a particular talent for playing characters that are a little eccentric and outlandish. In 2014, he appeared in the musical fantasy film Into the Woods as the Big Bad Wolf and made the classic literary character jump out from the screen with his superb performance.
12Depp Did Ichabod Crane Justice
In 1999, Johnny Depp took the starring role of Ichabod Crane in the film Sleepy Hollow, the adaptation of Washington Irving’s short story. Depp’s character is a detective sent from New York to investigate a series of murders in Sleepy Hollow that were carried out by the fearsome Headless Horseman.
11Tonto Was A Role Fit For Depp
Appearing in The Lone Ranger, the role of Tonto was fit for Johnny Depp. Even though The Lone Ranger bombed at the Box Office, Depp did a great job of portraying the character. There was some controversy over casting Depp to play a Comanche character, but Depp has claimed that he has Native American ancestry.
10It All Started With Tom Hanson
Before Johnny Depp was known for playing characters that seem right at home in wacky Tim Burton productions, he rose to fame by portraying the super cool Tom Hanson on the TV series 21 Jump Street. He quickly rejected the idea of becoming a pinup boy, but we still love this character for introducing Depp to the world.
9We Sympathized With Donnie Brasco
Donnie Brasco is a conflicted character but one that we sympathize with every time we watch the film. Released in 1997, the movie follows the story of an FBI agent, played by Johnny Depp, who goes undercover in order to infiltrate and bring down an organized crime family in New York.
8Gilbert Grape Still Has Something Special
Early on in Depp’s career, he starred in the drama What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? alongside Juliette Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio. Even 27 years later, Gilbert is still an endearing character whom you can’t help feel something for. He still has something special that makes him one of Depp’s most memorable characters.
7Depp’s Portrayal Of Ed Wood Was Amazing
In 1994, Johnny Depp starred in Ed Wood, a film about the ambitious director of the same name. Depp portrayed Wood, who was known for the cult films he made, and committed to the project in the first place because it gave him the chance to have some fun and rejuvenate his love for acting.
6The Mad Hatter Shows Depp’s Uniqueness As An Actor
There really is no other actor out there quite like Johnny Depp. His unique portrayal of one of the most famous literary characters of all time, The Mad Hatter, in the Alice in Wonderland franchise, makes that quite obvious. We love Depp’s version of the character, who is significantly more complex than other interpretations.
5Gellert Grindelwald Is One Of The Best Because Any Harry Potter Connection Is Fine With Us
Gellert Grindelwald’s high ranking on this list might be a tad biased, but any Harry Potter character is always going to be popular. One of the best roles of Depp’s career, and one of his most recent, is Gellert Grindelwald, one of the most powerful dark wizards of all time.
4Depp’s Performance Of Sir James Matthew Barrie Pulled At The Heartstrings
There are a few Johnny Depp performances that stand out from all the rest. One of them is his portrayal of Sir James Matthew Barrie in Finding Neverland. The film shows Barrie writing a play about children who never want to grow up, which would eventually evolve into one of the most famous stories of all time: Peter Pan.
3Who Doesn’t Love Roux?
Chocolate and Johnny Depp with an Irish accent? Who wouldn’t love Chocolat?! As much as Depp can play a great villain, we think that he is even better when he plays the lovable good guy like Roux. This film is as irresistible as all the chocolate that appears within it.
2Edward Scissorhands Was Iconic
Edward Scissorhands is undoubtedly one of Johnny Depp’s most iconic characters of all time. The misunderstood man-made man with scissors for hands is so easy to fall in love with thanks to the soft-spoken nature that Depp brings to the character. In our minds, there is only one Depp character that tops Edward Scissorhands …
1The Best: Captain Jack Sparrow
The best Johnny Depp character of all time is, of course, Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Captain Jack is not quite good, not quite bad and has no shortage of sass and hilarity. It’s not an exaggeration to say that this loveable pirate has made the franchise the success that it is.
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