Should Jack Sparrow Be Johnny Depp's Legacy?

[Mitch Henessey]

The Pirates Of The Caribbean films can always be fun to watch, and I'm sure there are a lot of fans of the Jack Sparrow character. Sparrow can be witty, charismatic, and highly entertaining. Depp always manages to do a great job with this character, but should his legacy revolved around the eccentric pirate?

I ask this question because Sparrow is easily Depp's most famous role. He even received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor a while ago. This nomination came from his performance in Curse Of The Black Pearl. I know Depp also received Best Actor nominations for his performances in Finding Neverland and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, but none of these roles are as famous as his portrayals of Jack Sparrow. The Pirates films always make tons of money, and this has become a very popular film series over the years.

Depp is a great actor. His range is incredible, and he can add a spark to any character he plays. Depp has so many other great performances in better films. He was outstanding in Ed Wood, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Donnie Brasco, Blow, Secret Window, and Edward Scissorhands.

I don't hate the Pirates Of The Caribbean film series, but Depp's entire body of work is so impressive, and I hope he won't be remembered for just being Jack Sparrow.

What do you think?

 

[The Rob]

I'd say it's the role I immediately associate with Johnny Depp but whether it'll be his lasting legacy when he retires or whatever is a different matter. Depp has been in so many films and played so many outlandish characters and performed them extremely well and can actually be recognised for playing any of these roles. Whether that is Jack Sparrow or Sweeney Todd or Edward Scissorhands or whatever, Depp has performed some of the most iconic characters of the past 20 years.

I'd say Depp's legacy will be his partnership with Johnny Depp. Regardless of the project, put those two together and you know something weird and wonderful is going to happen. Sweeney Todd is personally my favourite thing Depp has done because it's just so different to anything else he's done before or after. He transformed this Sweeney Todd character and gave a chilling performance. He's not the best singer, but that worked for me, Sweeney Todd probably isn't meant to be a brilliant singer, he's too busy getting caught up in slicing people's throats to care. For many of us, his performance as Jack Sparrow is the introduction we had to him and his talents and previous roles, but it ain't his defining legacy in my opinion.

 

[risephoenixrise]

Johnny Depp is a talented actor, so it will be hard to define which role is the best. I think about him in terms of James Dean, whom is best remembered for "Rebel Without a Cause". A lot of people don't remember the name of the character, they just remember Dean and how well he did that role. Dean only had three movies, and he's legendary. Depp makes every role work, and like Dean, he will be remembered most for his body of work, rather than one role. The Jack Sparrow character is memorable, but he'll end up doing something a few years from now that will be just as great. Shoot, he's even had a career before The Pirates of the Caribbean, and if he had passed on before then he would have still been legendary.

Johnny Depp is the best darn actor in Hollywood. It's a real shame that his buddy River Phoenix wasn't here to see everything Depp has accomplished. River would have had a smiliar career.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

Johnny Depp will be known for Jack Sparrow and a lot more of his characters. In my book Depp is one of the best actors of all time. His roles are so diversified, most of them are out there a bit. But they are great roles played by a great actor. He may not be the best of all time, but he would defiantly be in the top 25 in my book.

His talent is endless, he can go from a wise cracking pirate, to a chocolate factory owner, to a murderous barber. All have somewhat similar mindsets, but are totally off the radar for being linked.

 

[jmt225]

It most likely will, but no, it shouldn't.

If Depp died tomorrow and were to remembered for just one role, I would prefer it to be Ed Wood, which is easily his best performance and the best movie he's ever starred in, in my opinion.

However, overall, Depp should be remembered for his versatility as an actor, and also for the fact that he didn't just settle with his good looks and take countless shitty romantic comedies. No, Depp went out of his way to challenge himself with every role he ever took. From the quirky stuff like Edward Scissorhands and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, to the dramatic stuff like Finding Neverland and Dead Man, and to the children roles like the Pirates movies. The man has done it all in during his career, and all of it should be remembered.

 

[Richard]

I'm going to say yes.

He's mostly known and associated with Pirates and known as Jack Sparrow and that is argueably his greatest success to this day so I don't see why Jack Sparrow shouldn't be his legacy.

He has played other roles really well, but none come close to the mainstream popularity of Jack Sparrow.

Someone's legacy isn't really a reflection of their best work, it's what they will be most remembered for while they were working. Jack Sparrow is that character and role that when he dies, people will generally remember him as Jack Sparrow.

 

[eragon555]

Johnny Depp is one of the best actor from this era, no doubt about that!
And of course he will always be remebered as Captain Jack Sparrow

IMO he should be, because The Pirates of Caribbean Saga is maybe one of the most entertainment movies ever...
I have all the movies, and i am excited about that new one, but i will miss Orlando and Keira
But of course he has other projects of his own, and he for sure will enjoy, but i dont know, PoC (Pirates of the Caribbean) movies, are one of a kind and it was some refreshing thing to the Cinema Industries, since they join Comedy, Action, Romance, Fantasy, Drama in one movie and we all can feel that

 

[Dagger Dias]

Jack Sparrow will very likely end up being the biggest part of Johnny Depp's legacy. That character will not be the only part of his legacy though, he has been in several other movies that were good and he has some other characters that were interesting. However, Jack Sparrow will be what he is remembered for the most in the end because it was by far his best character. Pirates were already cool, but Jack Sparrow made them cooler. He was a funny, clever, and very entertaining character that will live on for a really long time. Depp and his fans should be happy that this is his likely legacy.

 

[JGlass]

It undoubtedly will, and I also think it should be. I'll agree that he has better performances, but few as memorable as Jack Sparrow. Additionally, this is arguably the character that took Depp to superstardom and put him in the same league as guys like Damon and Clooney.

This is also a character that I don't think anybody except Johnny Depp could play, or at the very least create. Depp really crafted a lot of Jack Sparrow on his own, and I'm not sure any other actor would have been able to pull off "Keith Richards meets Captain Hook."

And finally, it keeps somethings sacred for his real fans. The mainstream movie audience hears Johnny Depp and they think, "Jack Sparrow, Willy Wonka, Edward Scissorhands." However, when the film buffs think of him they'll think of Gilbert Grape, Ed Wood, Raoul Duke, and maybe even Glen Lantz. So while the weekend box office warriors are clamoring over how he was the best pirate ever, the true film enthusiasts will remember him for the diversity of his roles and his ability to take a movie from good to great with his acting ability.

 

[Cookie]

However, overall, Depp should be remembered for his versatility as an actor, and also for the fact that he didn't just settle with his good looks and take countless shitty romantic comedies. No, Depp went out of his way to challenge himself with every role he ever took. From the quirky stuff like Edward Scissorhands and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, to the dramatic stuff like Finding Neverland and Dead Man, and to the children roles like the Pirates movies. The man has done it all in during his career, and all of it should be remembered.

I agree with this. It's impossible to say what he'll be remembered for because his career isn't over, but I think his versatility and quirkiness are the things that he'll always be known for.

That being said, Jack Sparrow IS synonymous with Johnny Depp. They're a package deal. The same can't be said about some of the other roles he's played, despite him being fantastic in them. I don't really have a problem with this. I didn't have a problem with him getting an Oscar nomination for Jack Sparrow either. People are quick to dismiss it compared to other things he's done in his career because it's a role in a children's film but it's some of the best modern comedic character work I've ever seen. The trust he has in himself as an actor is to be admired. He went really big and over the top with Jack Sparrow, to the point where executives were worried he was going to ruin the movie, but he never wavered on what he saw Jack to be and his confidence paid off. It was initially supposed to be a supporting role in the first film and Depp's characterization propelled it to becoming the face of the entire Pirates series. People love that character. And to create a character like that in a mainstream, blockbuster Disney film and then, as a bonus, have a diverse and wide audience love it? It's an amazing achievement, he created an iconic character, and he should be remembered for that.

 

[M. Winters]

I think there's no question about it. We all know he's had better performances and been in movies that maybe some of us have enjoyed more but that's not always what "legacy" is about. If you go up to the casual movie fan and ask them, "in one word can you describe Johnny Depp?" I would guess that 8/10 would say "Captain Jack Sparrow." Those movies have grossed billions of dollars and when you look back on his career the 4 or 5 Pirates of the Caribbean movies will stand out in most peoples minds just because the sheer size of the franchise.