Better Actor: Johnny Depp or Sean Penn

[THUNDER HANDS]

Poll question: Better Actor: Johnny Depp or Sean Penn

Since Depp creamed Robert Downey Jr. in the last poll, I figured I'd give him some tougher competition.

[ixion]

1. Penn is good, but Depp has way more range

IMO...

[IndianaGreen]

39. Depp has far more range

and has been in several small good movies that were totally enjoyable.

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. Johnny Depp=Cuter actor. I think they are about even on

acting skills, although I have a hard time watching Penn in movies because he reminds me too much of an old boyfriend. Although he was excellent in "Dead Man Walking".

[flamingyouth]

3. I love them both

But I went with Johnny Depp. Tough choice.

[mitchum]

4. Sean Penn without question

He may not have Depp's ageless chicken quality, but come on...

[David Zephyr]

5. Johnny Depp.

n/t

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

6. very tough

two different styled actors. I really liked Penn in i am sam, even though that wasn't one of his top movies. Depp is just, wow, hot and talented. But since Sean's lagging a bit I'll vote for him.

[supernova]

7. No contest- JD in a landslide

Anybody who can convincingly play both Ed Wood and Donnie Brasco has some wickedly good mojo going on.

[VermontDem2004]

9. I agree

a lopsided landslide.

[Catch22Dem]

13. And George Jung (n/t)

[supernova]

14. Yep,

If you've seen the features on the DVD for Blow, you'll know how close Johnny comes to being George Jung. It's frightening.

[Aristus]

8. I'm a straight guy, and immune to Depp's doe-eyed charms.

I think Sean Penn is a better actor. Having said that, it should not be read that because one is better, the other is no good. I think Depp is a fine actor. He seems to play the same narrow set of roles, but he plays them well. I'm trying to think of a role that Sean Penn played that Johnny Depp could do better, and can't come up with one. His sweet, dim-witted escaped convict in "We're No Angels" is close, but I still think Penn nailed it.

[supernova]

11. It's not about the charm, Aristus

though that's nice too, I'll grant you.

Even if Johnny would have been offered it, I could see why he would have passed on "We're No Angels" at the time. It's simply not his subject matter.

Sean Penn is OK, but really the only one of Johnny's roles I can see him doing OK in is D.B. But really I don't think he would have been able to bring the inner conflict and sense of betrayal to bear the way Johnny did.

Sean at times, over acts. Perhaps he will learn to modulate, I don't know. Johnny works on a much more subtle level. He's an efficient communicator of character.

[Aristus]

17. I agree. Johnny Depp is more subtle in his approach.

That's what made "Edward Scissorhands" such a beautiful performance. I've done some acting myself, and the directors have almost always told me, 'go out as far as you like, and I'll reel you in'. That's seems better than having to yank a performance out of a guy. This applies to me, you understand, not Johnny Depp.

Sean Penn's moment of transcendant beauty was, for me, his "sermon" in "We're No Angels". He starts by reading the sales brochure for a Colt Revolver, and you think he's going to screw it up, and he just does so wonderfully.

[corarose]

10. Johnny Depp

Is one hell of a beautiful man.

[supernova]

12. Let's all take a moment to ..umm. ahh...

*sigh*

photo courtesy of http//:www.johnnydeppfan.com

[THUNDER HANDS]

15. *sigh* is right

:eyes:

[supernova]

16. Hey,

Just 'cause you can't get laid, doesn't mean the rest of us have to be nuns. :P

[corarose]

48. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Damnnnnnnn

Where the hell did you get that picture? Damn Damn Damn!

[Kahuna]

25. He is beautiful. Perfect symmetry to his face.

:loveya:

[U2Fanatic]

26. I agree

he is one of only two famous guys that I go absolutely nuts for.

[joeybee12]

18. I cannot believe the results thus far! Penn is brilliant!

Depp is merely adequate--never saw a great performance yet.

[Rashind]

19. Sorry, I loved depp in Pirates...

I loved those crazy half-drunken mannerisms. I want to act like that full time. Of course, I've always wanted to be a pirate.

[DoNotRefill]

20. I concur...Arrrghhhhhh!!!!

(trying on my Pirate Voice...)

[joeybee12]

21. Haven't seen pirates, refuse to see a movie based ona theme ride!

And a disney theme ride, no less!

[supernova]

27. This proves it, joeybee12,

you have no joi de vivre. You're a humorless, dried-up crab shell of a human being. :P

[VOX]

22. Depp is fun at times, but Penn has the much broader range...

See him in "Mystic River" and you'll understand, if you don't already know.

[supernova]

30. Heh, that's truely funny

to say that Penn has a broader range. Except for I am Sam, he always plays the same James Dean wannabe. Johnny's played more different kinds of characters than SP has nightmares about.

[mitchum]

33. But Johnny often resembles a Natalie Wood wannabe

[supernova]

35. The aforementioned Hunter S Thompson

Edward Scissorhands, Donnie Brasco, George Jung, BonBon, Ed Wood, Jack Sparrow.

Johnny consistently plays against his looks.

[mitchum]

36. "often" VS ""consistently"

one can only play against chicken/hustler looks so much

[supernova]

37. Johnny is multi-talented

he can pull off comedy as well as drama, and make you feel the pathos of either.

I can't say the same for Sean Penn. He mostly seems uncomfortable when he's trying to be funny.

[mitchum]

38. Yeah, Penn really failed to nail Jeff Spicoli

[supernova]

40. Specifics baby

put up or call it a night. What about Spicoli is better than Ed Wood?

[mitchum]

43. Well, several people have essentially made careers out of ripping...

off Penn's characterisation. I don't think that secondhand Ed Woods have become a cottage industry. Touche (as Johnny would say in one of his ridiculous swordfighting confections)

[supernova]

44. Only because they can't do Ed Wood

I don't see imitations as an especially good thing for an actor. You are supposed to find your own center from which to act.

Johnny is by far the more risk-taking actor. You only have to see Edward Scissorhands or Benny & Joon or F&L in Las Vegas, or Blow to see that. Sean Penn plays it very close to home. He's done one person very different from himself. The rest were just veriations on the testosterone-driven theme.

[mitchum]

46. Why am I starting to feel like one of John Hinckley's friends...

who prefered Tatum O'Neal? We'll just have to agree to disagree.

[supernova]

47. Tee Hee!

Did you really expect anything less from the President of the DU Johnny Depp Fan Club?

For the record, I have nothing against SP, it's just that he bores me.

[VOX]

51. Depp's Ed Wood sounds like a dead-on John Lovitz impression.

It's amusing, but where's the arc of the character? He starts out with high hopes, he ends with high hopes.

Oh, yeah, he's got high hopes in between. And did I mention enthusiasm?

On edit: Depp is boxed in by his specialty: freaks, asthetes, brooding rebels, all variants of the same basic character: the sensitive outsiders. This is not a criticism per se. He is good at what he does.

[VOX]

52. Presenting a gallery of Penn's characters that Depp can't touch...

Jeff Spicoli - Fast Times at Ridgemont High 1982
Daulton Lee - Falcon and the Snowman 1985
Brad Whitewood Jr. - At Close Range 1986
Danny McGavin - Colors 1988
Meserve - Casualties of War 1989
Terry Noonan - State of Grace 1990
Matthew Poncelet - Dead Man Walking 1995
Emmet Ray - Sweet and Lowdown 1999
Paul - 21 Grams 2003
Jimmy - Mystic River 2003

I'm deliberately leaving out "I am Sam," which you cite. Their bodies of work laid side by side, Penn is a heavyweight. Depp is a facile middleweight.

[MrsMatt]

23. My poll question is

why do I always vote on Magic Rat's polls?

[Deja Q]

24. Go watch "Private Resort" and ask me that question again...

:D

[supernova]

28. Yeah, I could say the same about

Shanghai Surprise! :P

[proud patriot]

29. okay so I have pondered this all day

and still can't decide .

and yes Depp is cuter but that wasn't the question ..

[bbernardini]

31. "Fear and Loathing..." - 'nuff said.

:)

[supernova]

32. Yes!!!!

How could I forget that?!?

Only two actors have dared approach the wily genius that is Hunter S Thompson. Only ONE has succeeded. Johnny Depp. Way too cool for words.

[seamarq]

34. Ed Wood

Depp was courageous as an actor and absolutely hilarious.

[Terwilliger]

41. Penn is superior to Depp

by most measures...while I like Depp

[supernova]

42. In what way Terwilliger?

you are uncharacteristically vague here.

[Terwilliger]

49. I think Penn has a better range

not to say that I think Depp is so limited

I also havent seen many of Depp's movies

[VOX]

53. Penn has challenged himself more than Depp.

Look at Penn's body of work over two decades; note the high-octane directors and actors whom he has worked with, the varied projects that he has selected, and see if he hasn't challenged himself more than Depp.

[supernova]

45. Best film of the 1990s - Dead Man

Dead Man by Jim Jarmusch.

If you haven't seen it, rent it. Part western, part allegory, part morality play, part treatise on the treatment of native americans by the government, and part love letter to William Blake. I guarantee you will be thinking about Dead Man for days afterward.

You could write a master's or doctoral thesis on the themes and imagery in this movie. Oh, and you should have a thorough knowledge of William Blake.

The only part SP would have been suited for is the ones played by Billy Bob Thornton or Iggy pop. Certainly not the lead. The lead required too much forethought and sensitivity.

[eauclaireliberal]

50. Depp is good, however...

I voted for Penn because IMHO I don't think Depp could do Matthew Poncelat.