Johnny Depp troubles

The big news currently is that Johnny Depp is going all around the world (i.e. Russia to Germany so far) and appears to be very sick. Two friends, knowing I am such a massive Johnny fan and have been for years, have already sent me the same articles on it, twice. I first saw the news when it broke 3 days ago, I believe. I agree with everyone that he looks sickly. I also agree that its a bit worrying. Especially now that some friends have messaged me about it ... it makes it all seem so much more...severe.

My first thoughts, however, were that JD was, as one article said, merely preparing for a role. He is, after all, currently shooting a film (or maybe finished?) that deals with a college English professor getting cancer, and then deciding to live recklessly, as a result of it. I am not personally sure i'll watch said film (I have known of it for about a year and been somewhat disappointed) but ...naturally I'm still hoping that this is the only thing plaguing Johnny. Ever since I became a massive fan of his back in 2008 or so, I've always been hoping that I'd get to watch JD age gracefully, sort of like Christopher Lee (who he once worked with) also did. Imagine an 80 something year old Johnny Depp, in the year 2048 (he'll be 85 then) doing roles in classic films we cannot even yet conceive of? Theres something almost disturbing about imagining JD at that age, but he's just another human, so...it'll happen...unless he's sick...which i surely hope he's not....

I've written about Johnny plenty before, but he's always been one of my biggest inspirations and remains one to this day. It's a mystery to me how he became so popular and beloved and i'll never really understand it completely. He is different than essentially all the other film stars of Hollywood and, the other sad thing is that, you'd think by now there'd be some new actor or actress clearly influenced by JD, yet there basically still isn't. The dude is still a lone star out there. I can't think of a single new actor who has done a role thats even marginally comparable to Depp's Edward Scissorhands or his Ninth Gate , etc. Movies now just never seem to be that unique. Think, even, of a movie Depp wasn't involved in (but Tim Burton was) like Beetlejuice.

Shall we ever see such a film again, in this modern environment? I think many of us freaks have simply given up on film all over again, the way things are now. The days of the "freaks" being included in films now, in retrospect, seem to have been rather short lived. We are moving to television, or we are just staying online, doing fan-fiction, little novels, being marginalized all over again. Funny how it works no? The late 80s and 90s were "decent" for us; but now its back to lonely freakhood. I think a lot of it has to do with the political environment in the post 90s period--especially the post 9/11 political environment. Americans got a hard on for conservatism after 9/11 and it never really went away. In fact, Johnny Depp became a bit hated in the post 9/11 period, for talking badly about "freedom fries". Remember those? I do.

Whenever i think of Johnny these days, tho, i always get to thinking of what roles I can imagine him in, instead of what I've already gloriously seen him in. Theres so many types of characters he still has yet to do and... well, an English professor thats dying just seems like the last one he should have chosen. It's the same with this other film he's got coming up, too... City of Lies. It's dealing with the Tupac and Biggie Smalls murder stories. JOhnny plays a cop. It's ... scary... i don't think he shold have done it...I'm of the opinion he shouldn't have done Black Mass either...

Personally I like to envision JD in fantasy roles or roles that are close to fantasy--but it seems he is moving away from this now, perhaps because his horrible agents think he sould try to play to a middle aged audience or something. Who knows? I have always wondered, for example, what Johnny would look like as a real JRR Tolkien style wizard, instead of the JK Rowling one he plays in those recent Harry Potter films. Or what about JD as elf, or even dwarf? Why not? I think audiences would love it. He could also do vampire again, like Dark Shadows ,but DARKER! Some of his early roles were so dark and serious and then all of a sudden you watch all the new ones and they're always trying to infuse comedy. It bothers me. I need him to do another Libertine! I loved that film when first I saw it. If I was so lucky to be an actor, its the first role I'd take.

Oh well. Wrote a decent bit for having just rolled out of bed,not eaten breakfast, and now just getting a sip of my morning joe. Hopefully Johnny is alright and not sick. I'll be very sad if he isn't....