I believe these two guys are worlds apart when it comes to pure skill with their craft, but they are
both very gifted, charismatic, and immensely likeable.
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton have collaborated for five films (
Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), two of which none of us has had any chance to see yet. Not all of them have been all that great, so I don’t base my judgment because of their work together. Still…my favorite performance by Depp was in
Ed Wood.
Piddy is right: Depp has continuously shown a deep desire to constantly challenge himself by taking roles that are completely different from any other role he’s done previously, and he’s done them
well. Very well.
Cry-Baby, Edward Scissorhands, Benny & Joon, Ed Wood, Dead Man, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Sleepy Hollow, From Hell, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Finding Neverland, and
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: No other roles like those in his repertoire. Yeah, he’s made some stinkers, not too many who do this job haven’t, but he constantly finds new ways to reinvent how we perceive him. He’s not afraid to try new things, no matter how difficult they are.
Brad Pitt has done that to some extent, but not as much that I can see.
Kalifornia, Twelve Monkeys, Fight Club, and
Snatch are the only real departures from his regular romantic/tough guy roles…and all these roles have one thing in common: They’re all really the same guy. They’re all emotionally unstable, hair trigger, and dangerous men.
So, if I had to choose which one of these two guys have
shown their true depth, I’d choose Depp. If I had to choose which one I actually like more; I couldn’t. I like them both a LOT! They are both cool as hell. If I had to choose, based on their individual bodies of work, which was the more competent actor, it would be Johnny…hands down.
Anyway…they
BOTH rock!