Johnny Depp names his five favourite movies of all time

• It wasn’t until his appearance as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean that his celebrity began to soar.
• At the height of his fame in 2009, Depp revealed his five all-time favourite movies.
• Describes director Emir Kusturica as a “genius” for his crime drama Time of the Gypsies.

Johnny Depp may have gone through a tricky time of late, but there was good period in the late 1990s and early years of the new millennium where there were fewer names in Hollywood more significant than Johnny Depp.

Depp entered the industry with innate skill, providing consistently frantic performances to every part, from small indie dramas to big-budget blockbusters. He had rough good looks and an unmistakable appeal. Although Depp began working in the 1980s, it wasn’t until his appearance as Captain Jack Sparrow in the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean that his celebrity began to soar.

Depp had previously played character roles, but the seafaring Disney adventure would transform him into a well-known movie star who would later assume elaborate makeup and costumes to play Sweeney Todd, Willy Wonka, and The Mad Hatter. Depp has given much stronger performances under the direction of Oliver Stone, Wes Craven, Terry Gilliam, Jim Jarmusch, and John Waters, but it is these roles that have helped him become such a well-liked pop-culture icon.

At the height of his fame in 2009, Depp gave a speech in which he revealed his five all-time favourite movies, much to the utter joy of his adoring fans all around the world.

The first movie on his list is the Jim Jarmusch picture Down by Law, starring Roberto Benigni and Tom Waits, about an Italian immigrant, a pimp, and a disc jockey who all wind up in the same jail cell. Depp, who described the film as a “sweet, funny, existentialist crime caper,” would work with the filmmaker again after the 1986 film’s release by starring in Dead Man in 1995.

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Johnny Depp himself stars in the second picture on his list, Tim Burton’s Ed Wood from 1994, which is ranked second. The actor exclaims, “Despite my involvement, this movie is a tender, comic gem,” citing the stellar ensemble cast, which includes Martin Landau, Patricia Arquette, Bill Murray, and Vincent D’Onofrio, as one of the film’s best assets.

The 1944 Howard Hawks romance To Have And Have Not is Depp’s third pick, going back a few decades to show his affection for the movies. According to the actor, it’s one of his favourites because it “marriage of three of my favorite things: Bogart, ’40s film noir, and Hemingway,” The movie’s classic look and mid-WWII plot, which has an American exile convey a leader of the French Resistance across the nation, are also much loved.

The 1988 movie Time of the Gypsies by Emir Kusturica takes the fourth spot on Depp’s list of favourites, calling the director a “genius” for his comedy crime drama. “This is visual poetry, with a healthy portion of both magic and the absurd,” the actor states, further adding that he believes the filmmaker is “one of the last true auteurs, alongside Tim Burton and Jim Jarmusch, keeping the art alive in cinema”.

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The legendary British comedic masterpiece Withnail and I, directed by Bruce Robinson, comes to a close out his list. No other film in history is as quoted or has sparked such cultlike loyalty, claims Depp, gushing about the film. I think this is the funniest movie I’ve ever seen! Brandon Robinson Critics and viewers from all around the world concurred with him that the movie starring Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann was “another masterpiece right there.”

Johnny Depp’s five favourite films of all time:

• Down by Law (Jim Jarmusch, 1986)
• Ed Wood (Tim Burton, 1994)
• To Have and Have Not (Howard Hawks, 1944)
• Time of the Gypsies (Emir Kusturica, 1988)
• Withnail and I (Bruce Robinson, 1987)
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