Throughout the ‘90s and the ‘00s, Johnny Depp commanded the screen every year with his best performances, such as Jack Sparrow, Sweeney Todd, Edward Scissorhands, and more. Then, when allegations from the Depp Vs. Heard defamation trial made headlines, Depp’s roles were affected, like being dropped from Fantastic Beasts 3 and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Now that the Oscar nominee is returning to main stream moies with Day Drinker, he doesn’t prefer fans to think of this as a “comeback.”
Ever since Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation trial came to a close in 2022, the transformative actor has been slowly making his way back into movies. His first post-trial movie, Jeanne du Barry, premiered at Cannes with Depp reportedly feeling “fantastic” about his new chapter. However, the Ed Wood actor previously told The L.A. Times why he doesn’t prefer people use the term “comeback” to describe his return to movies:
I’ve had about 17 comebacks, and I don’t understand it because I didn’t go anywhere. I live about 45 minutes from here. Maybe people stopped calling out of whatever their fear was at the time — but I didn’t go nowhere…. ‘Comeback’ is almost like I’m going to come out and do a tap dance — dance my best and hope you approve. That’s the notion. It’s a bizarre mystery.
What Johnny Depp could be referring to is all of the new career chapters he’s made throughout his life. Starting off in the industry as a teen idol, Depp made a name for himself in A Nightmare on Elm Street and in the police drama series 21 Jump Street. However, he hated being thought of as a teen heartthrob. Therefore, you could argue that his “comeback” as a serious actor came from starring in the title role of Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, which led to him being one of Burton’s most frequently chosen actors for his projects.
While Johnny Depp’s Tim Burton movies and other artsy films like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas showed the actor’s extensive range, they didn’t earn a lot of money at the box office. So you can say that another career milestone of Depp’s came from playing the lovable trickster Jack Sparrow in The Pirates of the Caribbean movies (which are streaming on your Disney+ subscription). He went from a quirky cult status star to a global superstar.
Jeanne du Barry may have highlighted Johnny Depp’s tense, French return to movies with a seven-minute standing ovation at Cannes. But, its decision to premiere at the festival left a selected screening. Fortunately, Depp’s major Hollywood return will come from the Marc Webb thriller Day Drinker. Reuniting with his frequent co-star Penélope Cruz, the bankable actor will play a cruise ship bartender who meets a mysterious day drinker, only for the pair to be wrapped up in a criminal plot. Based on the Lionsgate film’s first look photo with Depp looking like a different person, I can see his knack for transformative roles will be making a return, too.
Johnny Depp may not prefer to think of his return to movies as a “comeback,” considering how many returns he’s made to Hollywood. However, there’s no doubt that his newest Hollywood role in Day Drinker will mark another significant chapter in the actor’s life.
