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"The Immortal Captain Jack Sparrow." It has such a lovely ring to it...

Kim Hollis: We've talked quite a bit recently about where people rank in terms of "movie stardom." Does this latest triumph put Johnny Depp at the top of your list?

Michael Lynderey: I wouldn't put Depp at the top of my list, just because he hasn't been able to consistently headline mega-star vehicle after mega-star vehicle in the way that, say, Will Smith or even Adam Sandler have (although their streak of respective triumphs has sort of come to an end, now). The odd thing about Depp is that he almost never is the clear leading man of any of the blockbusters he appears in, yet he's definitely a major box office factor in all of them - in Pirates, Jack Sparrow was a supporting character who broke out and overshadowed the lead, and that's true also of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and especially Alice in Wonderland, where the Mad Hatter - definitely not the protagonist of the picture - received an expanded role precisely because of the Depp casting. And so it's ironic that the last $100 million film in which Depp actually played the protagonist, Sleepy Hollow, is the one for which he's less remembered.

Jason Lee: I think a big part of Depp's big draw films (Pirates, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland, etc.) is the fact that people are interested in seeing how Depp PLAYS his role. You don't just go to see a movie star in a big movie, you go because you're insanely curious to see what wacky character he comes up. In this way, he's the perfect match for Burton - you go to see what wildly imaginative visuals Burton has come up with this time and you're eager to see what type of character Depp has brought to life.





Josh Spiegel: Right now, Depp is the biggest star in the world, I'd say. The Pirates movies may not have won over many critics - more the latter films than the first - but his starpower is obvious, at least to the marketers at Disney, who made it clear from the get-go that this movie should be called Alice and The Mad Hatter in Wonderland. I'd be curious to see how his next non-Disney movie does, but right now, he can't go wrong.

Reagen Sulewski: I'm not even sure I'd put a lot of this on Depp's presence, although he's by far the biggest draw of the actors involved. I wouldn't begrudge him playing it up like he is, though, and if you want the best shot at launching a new franchise, he's your go-to guy right now.

David Mumpower: I agree with Josh as well as Reagen, which isn't that easy to do given their comments. I fully acknowledge Michael's point that Johnny Depp is that rare bird who doesn't need to headline a title by himself. He has the confidence in himself to steal a scene while allowing someone else to claim the title of protagonist. This is why Reagen is correct in saying that we may giving too much credit for Depp here as opposed to something like Public Enemies, a less successful title that probably earned 50% more because of his name in the credits. Depp functions almost like a security blanket with the advertising for Alice in Wonderland in that the trailers seem to be saying, "And look, you can feel safe buying a ticket because that guy you trust is in it!" In hindsight, the aspect of Alice in Wonderland that I didn't appreciate enough is that it plays as a de facto sequel to Charlie in the Chocolate Factory with Alice's wonderland being less fattening. That probably doesn't work without Depp's presence. Keeping this in mind, I am again forced to conclude exactly what Josh said. Johnny Depp is the biggest star in the world today, and it's primarily for the reason Jason stated. His willingness to eschew the conventional and embrace the eclectic has allowed him to evolve from character actor to full blown Hollywood legend without giving up one iota of his indie credibility. I'm in awe of him. I also just managed to agree with everyone in this discussion despite the fact that everyone had a different take on Depp's career, because his career is so complex that every quirk of his revealed in this conversation is relevant to his current status.

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