Eight years ago, Hollywood declared “bah humbug” on Johnny Depp, turning its back on the former A-list star who’d become embroiled in legal battles with his ex-wife Amber Heard.
asserted
who → declare → wife
Now, tinsel town appears to be welcoming him back.
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town → appear → him
Depp says as much in the trailer of Ebenezer, Ti West’s A Christmas Carol adaptation that features the American actor in his first major Hollywood role in nearly a decade.
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that → say → decade
“It’s good to be back,” Depp says as the miserly Scrooge.
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Depp → ’ → Scrooge
But, after eight years spent away from the spotlight following one of the most highly publicised trials in celebrity history, could Depp – and Hollywood – be jumping the gun?
uncertain
Depp → spend → gun
“[Paramount] knows that there’s an audience there, willing and waiting for Depp’s return.
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Paramount → know → return
Perhaps that outweighs any risk,” says Sarah Scales, a PhD candidate in the fields of celebrity studies and fan studies at Swinburne.
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Scales → outweigh → Swinburne
“The only real risk is that it doesn’t succeed at the box office.”
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it → succeed → office
Depp was one of the world’s most bankable stars throughout the ’90s and 2000s, best known for leading the remarkably popular Pirates of the Carribean franchise as the eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow.
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Depp → know → Sparrow
In 2016, Depp divorced Amber Heard, who accused him of domestic abuse.
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who → divorce → abuse
In 2020, Depp sued UK publication The Sun for calling him a “wife beater”.
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Depp → sue → him
However, the UK High Court ruled the claim was “substantially true”, leading to his resignation from his role as Gellert Grindelwald in the third Fantastic Beasts film.
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claim → rule → film
Two years later, Depp became embroiled in another highly publicised legal battle with Heard.
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Depp → embroil → Heard
He accused her of defaming him in a Washington Post article by referring to herself as a domestic abuse victim.
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He → accuse → victim
A US jury ruled in favour of Depp, with Heard awarding the actor $US10.35 million in damages.
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Heard → rule → damages
It also found that one of Depp’s lawyers had defamed Heard, awarding her $US2 million.
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one → find → million
They settled their appeals shortly after.
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They → settle → appeals
Heard was trolled relentlessly online during the six-week court case.
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Heard → troll → case
Videos under the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp – most of which actively attacked Heard’s character – clocked up 19.2 billion views on TikTok, this masthead reported at the time.
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masthead → attack → time
Depp subsequently receded into the background, only resurfacing for Dior fragrance campaigns and the odd small-scale indie film.
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Depp → recede → campaigns
In 2020, he starred in the thriller Minamata which made only middling returns after a tiny theatrical run.
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which → star → run
Three years later, Jeanne du Barry made more of a splash by premiering at Cannes, but was marred by online feminist campaigns against the festival’s decision to platform the actor.
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Barry → make → actor
But it seems the tide could now be turning.
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tide → seem → ?
Along with Ebenezer, Depp has been cast in thriller Day Drinker alongside Penélope Cruz, set for release next year.
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Depp → cast → release
He may even channel Sparrow once again, as Pirates of the Carribean producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently expressed interest in featuring the actor in a possible sixth film.
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Bruckheimer → channel → film
Whether this happens is likely dependent on how audiences receive Depp’s Ebenezer performance.
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audiences → happen → performance
He’s a picture-perfect Scrooge, transformed into a sneering skinflint.
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He → ’ → skinflint
He balances perfectly the character’s tight-fisted misery, isolation and oddball flair, simultaneously eliciting disdain, sympathy and chuckles.
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He → balance → disdain
It’s precisely Depp’s speciality.
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It → ’ → ?
From Edward Scissorhands to The Mad Hatter, he aces larger-than-life characters with a penchant for kookiness.
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he → ace → kookiness
His decision to lean into these kinds of roles paid off then, and perhaps even more now.
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decision → lean → roles
By embodying someone so far from himself, he arguably detaches his identity from the role, leaving his “baggage” off-screen.
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he → embody → screen
Paramount may have clocked this, revolving Ebenezer’s marketing around public stunts rather than traditional junkets.
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Paramount → clock → stunts
Depp dressed as Scrooge, knocking over a Christmas tree and heckling carol singers, at a New York park earlier this month.
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Depp → dress → park
He did similar at San Diego’s Comic-Con in July.
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He → do → July
The thinking seemed to be the less fans see of Depp himself, the less likely they’ll be to relitigate his past.
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they → seem → past
“It avoids those personal questions,” Scales says.
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Scales → avoid → questions
In the trailer, they called him the ‘master of misfits’.
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they → call → misfits
They’re playing into that idea, connecting his persona more to the characteristics of Scrooge than his past as this problematic figure.”
Lucky for Depp, Ebenezer doesn’t need to go gangbusters to be considered a success.
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Ebenezer → play → gangbusters
The film only cost around $US38 million to produce, presumably making it easier to turn a profit.
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it → cost → profit
…and 9 more, not listed.
The Aporia
