Edward Scissorhands is a fantasy film by Tim Burton about Edward, the creation of an inventor who dies before making Edward's hands. Edward is ostracized by society for his hideous looks and scary scissorhands, despite being kind and harmless. He is taken in by a suburban woman who attempts to introduce him to society. The story follows his interactions with the townspeople and his experience being an outcast. Edward was brilliantly played by Johnny Depp, who describes it as the role that liberated him. He explains in an interview that when he read the script, he cried because of how much he related to the character. He had never seen a character that seemed to so accurately embody himself and his feelings.
Depp says that he was never a part of or wants to be a part of either an "in" or "out" group but rather just to be. From then on, the majority of the characters that he plays have some kind of connecting essence. Most of his roles are of characters that are at least some kind of wack in the head like Jack Sparrow, The Mad Hatter, Willy Wonka, and Sweeney Todd. He is drawn to a certain madness in the characters he portrays. One of the most amazing things about his range of acting is it is often unbelievable that he is just one actor who plays so many wildly different characters. Depp discusses his traumatic childhood and how it molded him into the person and actor he is. The Creative Spark emphasizes the importance of developmental environment in humans especially because our larger brains and overly dependent nature need a significantly longer time to progress. Mothers are important figures in most animal relationships but particularly in primates. Despite not having the best, most nurturing mother, Depp did not fall for war and aggression like many might expect. Rather, he fits Fuentes' claim that human are naturally more inclined to be compassionate and peaceful. Johnny Depp is often described as shy and an overall very approachable individual.
Unlike most actors, Johnny Depp does not watch his films. He is only invested in the acting part of the film. He is there for the experience and process. He explains that as soon as the acting is over, the film becomes a product of the movie-making team. Depp will become the character and give it his all in each role but is uninterested on how everything is put together. He is focused on his creative process, not the product of the process. He claims to never read the stage directions and tends to improvise what he believes is most fitting for the character in that moment. That takes a lot of creativity, skill, knowledge, and on-the-spot thinking. Depp is intrinsically motivated because he enjoys the work for the work. He is not extrinsically motivated like many Hollywood stars. Although he does make money from his acting and is a famous celebrity, these are not the reasons he is an actor. He could've arguably started off extrinsically motivated just to make ends meet, but based on the investment theory of creativity, Depp is a thoroughly creative individual.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Depp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Scissorhands
https://lawrencekrauss.substack.com/p/my-dialogue-with-johnny-finding-the?utm_medium=reader2
https://lateralaction.com/articles/johnny-depp/
I've always been really into Johnny Depp, regardless of his bad image now. I always describe him as a "shape shifter", he perfectly embodies every role he encounters and truly becomes the character. I really liked your post!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with calling him a shape shifter!!! I was mindblown as a kid when I found out that the same person played Willy Wonka and Captain Jack Sparrow. His acting range is truly incomprehensible to me, so it is hard to believe that he basically started acting on a whim.
DeleteI have always thought that Johnny Depp has the innate ability to portray the "weird" characters so that they are relatable and human. Even when he plays a villain, he portrays the character in a way that makes the audience feel a sense of sympathy for the character. I think that his unique personality in real life factors into his ability to play these strange characters.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting read! I find it fascinating that Depp does not have the desire to be a part of a group and wants to simply exist. Humans by nature are social beings so it is interesting to see Depp venture out alone. His acting range is vast and I find it to be a great privilege to be able to improvise on the spot as many directors have strict scripts and an image of what the character should act/say. Depp is accomplished enough to mold the characters he portrays at his will.
ReplyDeleteI loved Pirates of the Caribbean growing up and Johnny Depp's acting played a huge part in that. I find it really interesting how he is often described by others as shy which in in complete contrast to the characters he plays. Thinking about how Edward Scissorhands is a very relatable role for him it feels like that was an emotional release for him and I can imagine that his other characters may serve a similar purpose considering how different they are from how he appears.
ReplyDeleteHi Vivian, I really enjoyed reading this post about Johnny Depp especially after recently watching him as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland! It made me think about the ancient question of "Nature vs Nurture" because so much of his skill comes from being able to relate to the characters he embodies due to the way he grew up. I wonder how much of his skill is due to "nature" and simply is just the way that his brain works or if most of his talent can be attributed to the way that he grew up. I could see how an unstable childhood, dropping out of high school, and more could lead to Depp being able to relate to and portray the feeling of being out of control or lost. I found it really interesting that he doesn't watch his own films and I think that proves that his love for the characters and acting is really what motivates him, rather than fame or the final product.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting post for so many reasons. I had honestly never though of Johnny Depp much, as an actor or an artists more broadly prior to the drama of the last few years, but it is so interesting whenever we find out that such an intricate part of our childhoods hated his work for so long. To know he deliberately tried to get fired from so many jobs is vastly different from how we know so many creatives are desperate to maintain any connection to their passion that they can. It is especially fascinating that the embellished part of who he is that drew so many in was what he used to try to get him fired from these positions.
ReplyDeleteThis post was really interesting to read. I have seen a few of the works that Johnny Depp has been in, but I never knew much about his life otherwise. It was especially interesting to learn that he kind of "accidentally" started acting. I really did not expect that.
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