It wasn't until he became stuck in the endless loop of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise - like an unwitting rider on an amusement park ride that had gone haywire and refused to ever stop - that Depp's creative spark started to become suspect. Sure, his undertaking of Willy Wonka-as-Michael Jackson seemed forced, even for Depp, but at least he was trying. But eventually, with fewer and fewer original roles popping up (from 2006 to 2011, he portrayed Jack Sparrow three times, and added two more entries to his bro-mance with Tim Burton), and the few times he ventured out into new territory, the results were mixed at best. (Sweeney Todd, Public Enemies, and The Tourist all came out during that same five year span). His choices used to be weird. Now they're weirdly similar. The Rum Diary was a hollow tracing of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, while Dark Shadows pushed his relationship with Burton into an unhealthy codependence. Depp's new definition of "weird" includes lots of silly hats and pancake makeup. And maybe, if he's not too bothered, a tossed-off accent. He's still able to sneak in a unique performance on occasion, as he did with the 2014 horror-comedy Tusk and 2015's crime drama Black Mass. But those are now the giant exceptions to the rule of Depp acting.
