You are Johnny Depp. Your professional life — heavily reliant on the affection and goodwill associated with your name, or at least that of Captain Jack Sparrow — is significantly damaged.
A chaotic and highly public series of accusations regarding on-set assaults (including a lawsuit you settled) and domestic violence (which you have denied), coupled with headline-making defamation trials, have collectively tarnished your once-pristine image. Your last major role in a franchise, portraying Gellert Grindelwald in the Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts series, concluded when Warner Bros. requested your resignation following the loss of your libel case against the Sun newspaper for labeling you a “wife beater.”
Since then, major public appearances have been sparse. Meanwhile, years of extravagant spending have led you to acquire a private island and an entire French village (along with an astounding quantity of wine that could intoxicate much of the nation) while accumulating debts comparable to those of some of the world’s most extravagant small nations.
What’s your next move?
Interestingly, your first significant Hollywood project after wrapping up your defamation trial against former partner Amber Heard (a case you largely triumphed in, with Heard mandated to pay you $10 million US over her abuse claims) is Ebenezer. A cherished yet frequently retold narrative. Some may view this as more of a public relations strategy than a genuinely engaging film.
Upon reflection, remaking Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol could actually be a wise choice. The story of the miserly Scrooge learning the true spirit of Christmas and compassion through encounters with one ghost and three spirits unfolds in Victorian England. You get to wander through sooty London streets once more, continuing to utilize that controversial accent that many North Americans find convincing yet irritates British audiences.
However, as you swagger in your meticulously worn cloaks and period-appropriate quirky hats, it might prove challenging for viewers to revive the fond memories associated with your earlier roles in Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd, or even Charlie and the Chocolate Factory‘s Willy Wonka — from your prior modern adaptations. They used to appreciate your performances, right?
This somewhat adequate comeback feels reminiscent of that sentiment. Can’t you regain their affection?
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In truth, this performance isn’t bad. With your exaggerated grimaces and exaggeratedly wide-eyed reactions, your sentimental monologues and comedic outbursts guide the audience through Dickens’s classic, albeit overly sweet tale of transformation.
This isn’t a standout Depp portrayal, nor does it possess great depth or innovation. Yet it echoes your previous works. The distinctive smirk and light-hearted banter that once supported blockbuster films are still present. Surely, that has some value?
Plus, you have an impressive ensemble to support you: Ian McKellen as your cautionary figure Jacob Marley, Rupert Grint as your beleaguered employee Bob Cratchit, and Tramell Tillman as the ominous, almost pagan-like Ghost of Christmas Present.
Tramell Tillman, left, plays the Ghost of Christmas Present to Johnny Depp’s Ebenezer Scrooge in Ebenezer. (Jaap Buitendijk/Paramount Pictures)
Each actor fulfills their role, delivering memorable lines from essentially archetypal — and necessarily simplistic — characters. Their purpose is to ensure that your unlikable protagonist endures enough hardship to eventually emerge as sympathetic, human, and deserving of reintegration into society.
In fact, the familiarity of this setup is so typical of your work that audiences might find themselves half-expecting Helena Bonham Carter to appear from around every shadowy, cobbled street. Director Ti West (MaXXXine, Pearl, X) attempts to infuse the source material with his distinct campy-horror style, but rather than achieving the intriguing blend seen in Tim Burton’s Scissorhands, the result resembles more of a matinee pantomime.
There are excessive additions of rattling chains and moaning spirits reminiscent of conventional casting in Fleet Street. West’s few original takes appear to aim for humor but come off as overly blunt. For instance, instead of Dickens’s trembling child-spirits symbolizing “ignorance” and “want,” we encounter creatures reminiscent of Dr. Seuss’s Thing 1 and Thing 2, screeching and scurrying about like diminutive, translucent ankle-biters from the abyss.
Redemption roulette
So, why take on this role, Johnny? When you consider it, relying on this now-predictable narrative instead of pursuing reinvention is quite fitting for your current situation. You are not the first celebrity to face “fall from grace” headlines. Among the numerous attempts to reclaim your standing, there is often a common theme.
Some efforts have been less successful. Like Will Smith’s painfully self-critical Emancipation, which tells the story of an enslaved individual so brutally beaten that the images of his whip-scarred back contributed to the abolition of slavery. Or Kevin Spacey’s amateurish The Man Who Drew God, centered on a blind man wrongfully accused of child abuse. Additionally, there’s Armie Hammer’s Citizen Vigilante and Jonathan Majors’s Run Hide Fight: Infidels — both showcasing a solitary man relentlessly battling perceived evil.
Conversely, there have been successful comebacks. Winona Ryder made her return from disgrace with a minor part in Black Swan, but her true resurgence was as the devoted and self-sacrificing mother in Stranger Things. After establishing a reputation for poor performances, Mickey Rourke experienced a (temporary) revival as the battered yet noble lead in The Wrestler.
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Robert Downey Jr. perhaps achieved the most remarkable comeback ever, transforming the public’s perception of his struggles with substance abuse and arrests into the heroic image of a world-saving billionaire in Iron Man.
It’s important to note that a film’s quality does not correlate with an actor’s morality. While not universally applicable, the formula for success tends to be reliable: If you seek to rehabilitate your image post-controversy, cast yourself as either a sympathetic victim or a selfless hero (or a combination of both) in a narrative that loosely reflects your own experiences.
Though Ebenezer may be adequately entertaining — and as creatively stimulating as the entry on “Simple Wikipedia” — it fulfills your requirements. Drawing from a tale so effective in evoking goodwill towards humanity that it essentially shaped the contemporary notion of Christmas generosity, what more could you wish for?