Johnny Depp: The all-time Hollywood star who has never won an Oscar

It has come to light that despite the career Hollywood star, Johnny Depp, has established for himself, he has not earned enough recognition for his many roles through the years. John Christopher Depp, most commonly known as Johnny Depp is a writer, actor, producer, and painter, known by all for his outstanding roles and versatile movies in which he has starred, some of which include: Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean), Willy Wonka (Charlie and the chocolate factory), Edward scissor hands, Mad Hatter (Alice through in Wonderland), and many more. Although playing a crucial part in many young adult's life, and receiving recognition from different awards, Depp has never won an Oscar. The actor has undeniably created a significant impact in the industry through his roles.

Background information

The now 63-year-old was born on June 9th, 1963, in Kentucky. His parents were Betty Sue, who worked as a waitress, and John Christopher Depp, a civil engineer. The actor lived most of his life in Florida and dropped out of school when he was only 15 to pursue his dream of playing music professionally (growing up, he took part in many local bands). Depp was not always the all-time Hollywood star we all love and admire. When he first married his former wife, Lori Anne Allison, he worked countless hours as a ballpoint-pen salesman to provide food and support for his family as well as his own needs. What was just a visit to Los Angeles took a turn of events when the actor met up with Nicolas Cage (actor) who encouraged him to act. His starring debut was in the film "A Nightmare on Elm Street", produced in 1984, in which he played a teen boy who "falls prey to dream-stalking demon Freddy Krueger".

During his teen years, Johnny Depp landed a role in the criminal TV series 21 Jump Street, a role that secured Depp as a teen actor and idol. At a young age, Depp's career had "taken off", making him one of the most well-known actors in the industry. The experience of being a teen idol was not as comforting as he had hoped, so he made the decision to pick roles based on his interests rather than Box office successes. Movies such as "The Lone Ranger" and "Of the Same name" were key to beginning his "Oscar-less" award-winning life.

Depp's alcohol and drug history

For much of his life, Johnny Depp has struggled with addiction and alcoholism. Starting at the age of 11, he began using drugs by ingesting his mother’s “nerve pills” and at the age of 12, was already smoking cigarettes. He claims that by the age of 14 he had “used every kind of drugs there were”. During an interview in 2008, Depp stated and agreed that he has ‘poisoned” himself with alcohol and drugs for decades.

There have been confirmed allegations of his use of drugs during the filming of the movie What’s eating Gilbert Grape?. The actor had already acknowledged his alcohol abuse at that time. In 2013, Johnny declared he had stopped drinking stating that he “pretty much got everything he could get out of it” additionally stating that he “investigated with wine and spirits thoroughly, and they certainly investigated him as well” “we found out that we got along beautifully, maybe too well”.

The Oscars

Speaking to Vanity Fair in 2015, Depp shared he doesn’t “want to win one of those things ever”, saying that he doesn’t want to have to talk and that the idea of winning means that “you’re in competition with someone” and he’s “not in competition with anybody”. It is no secret that the academy has favouritism towards certain movie types and genres, usually the ones most praised by audiences, and to his favour, Depp prefers starring in more distinct genres that tend to be overlooked. So in reality the question is not about Depp’s talent, but more so his acting preferences.

Viewers’ criticism towards the academy and its standards has shown yearly increases. Depp's fans are ones to talk, thus expressing they "would love to see him hold the golden statue someday", however, it is evident that Johnny prefers to turn his attention and strive into performing roles in movies he actually enjoys.

How is Johnny today?

Till this day, Johnny still acts in famous movies such as "Fantastic Beasts and where to find them", however, since the beginning of 2022, Depp has been suffering in a legal battle with his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, for accusations of sexual and physical abuse. This has forced the actor to resign some of his most famous starring roles such as Captain Jack Sparrow and Gellert Grindelwald. Everyone hopes Depp's battle is over quickly so that he can continue to "bless" people's TV’s around the globe.