A Christmas miracle? How Ebenezer could revive Johnny Depp’s career
Eight years ago, Hollywood declared “bah humbug” on Johnny Depp, turning its back on the former A-list star who’d become embroiled in legal battles with his ex-wife Amber Heard. Now, tinsel town appears to be welcoming him back.
Depp says as much in the trailer of Ebenezer, Ti West’s A Christmas Carol adaptation that features the American actor in his first major Hollywood role in nearly a decade. “It’s good to be back,” Depp says as the miserly Scrooge. But, after eight years spent away from the spotlight following one of the most highly publicised trials in celebrity history, could Depp – and Hollywood – be jumping the gun?
“[Paramount] knows that there’s an audience there, willing and waiting for Depp’s return. Perhaps that outweighs any risk,” says Sarah Scales, a PhD candidate in the fields of celebrity studies and fan studies at Swinburne. “The only real risk is that it doesn’t succeed at the box office.”
Depp was one of the world’s most bankable stars throughout the ’90s and 2000s, best known for leading the remarkably popular Pirates of the Carribean franchise as the eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow.
In 2016, Depp divorced Amber Heard, who accused him of domestic abuse. In 2020, Depp sued UK publication The Sun for calling him a “wife beater”. However, the UK High Court ruled the claim was “substantially true”, leading to his resignation from his role as Gellert Grindelwald in the third Fantastic Beasts film.
Two years later, Depp became embroiled in another highly publicised legal battle with Heard. He accused her of defaming him in a Washington Post article by referring to herself as a domestic abuse victim. A US jury ruled in favour of Depp, with Heard awarding the actor $US10.35 million in damages. It also found that one of Depp’s lawyers had defamed Heard, awarding her $US2 million. They settled their appeals shortly after.
Heard was trolled relentlessly online during the six-week court case. Videos under the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp – most of which actively attacked Heard’s character – clocked up 19.2 billion views on TikTok, this masthead reported at the time.
Depp subsequently receded into the background, only resurfacing for Dior fragrance campaigns and the odd small-scale indie film. In 2020, he starred in the thriller Minamata which made only middling returns after a tiny theatrical run. Three years later, Jeanne du Barry made more of a splash by premiering at Cannes, but was marred by online feminist campaigns against the festival’s decision to platform the actor.
But it seems the tide could now be turning. Along with Ebenezer, Depp has been cast in thriller Day Drinker alongside Penélope Cruz, set for release next year. He may even channel Sparrow once again, as Pirates of the Carribean producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently expressed interest in featuring the actor in a possible sixth film.
Whether this happens is likely dependent on how audiences receive Depp’s Ebenezer performance. He’s a picture-perfect Scrooge, transformed into a sneering skinflint. He balances perfectly the character’s tight-fisted misery, isolation and oddball flair, simultaneously eliciting disdain, sympathy and chuckles.
It’s precisely Depp’s speciality. From Edward Scissorhands to The Mad Hatter, he aces larger-than-life characters with a penchant for kookiness. His decision to lean into these kinds of roles paid off then, and perhaps even more now. By embodying someone so far from himself, he arguably detaches his identity from the role, leaving his “baggage” off-screen.
Paramount may have clocked this, revolving Ebenezer’s marketing around public stunts rather than traditional junkets. Depp dressed as Scrooge, knocking over a Christmas tree and heckling carol singers, at a New York park earlier this month. He did similar at San Diego’s Comic-Con in July. The thinking seemed to be the less fans see of Depp himself, the less likely they’ll be to relitigate his past.
“It avoids those personal questions,” Scales says. “By showing up as Scrooge, there’s much less attention on Depp … In the trailer, they called him the ‘master of misfits’. They’re playing into that idea, connecting his persona more to the characteristics of Scrooge than his past as this problematic figure.”
Lucky for Depp, Ebenezer doesn’t need to go gangbusters to be considered a success. The film only cost around $US38 million to produce, presumably making it easier to turn a profit. Depp was reportedly only paid around $US5 million, far less than he would usually be paid for a leading role. Could his willingness to work for slightly “smaller” paychecks act in his favour during future casting calls?
Scales says some may argue Depp doesn’t even need a “comeback”. He maintained fervent support throughout the 2022 trial. His star power also remained – according to a recent National Research Group study cited by Variety, Depp was among the top 10 actors respondents were most interested in seeing in a future cinema release.
“Depp’s fandom is so entrenched. They have deep parasocial relationships,” Scales says. “Fandom reflects on you as a person. If you’re loyal to a star and want to stay loyal to them, you need to believe they’re innocent to protect both them and your own identity or how you’re perceived.”
Ebenezer is in cinemas now.
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