Will fate fete him this time?
|
Johnny Depp was in the shadows till "Pirates of the Caribbean ... ," for which he won the Empire Award. In the Oscar race again for "Finding Neverland," will the actor's date with destiny prove a winner, wonders ZIYA US SALAM.
|
Johnny Depp may finally get his reward with "Finding Neverland."
THE SHADOWS are lengthening. The stakes are getting higher. The choices narrow down, the also-rans prepare to bow out as the world prepares to salute the winners on Oscar night. Amidst all the attention on the once-in-a-year night, there will be one man quietly hoping that finally, maybe, his moment has arrived. That it is time to sneak out of the sidelines and take his place as the winner. He is none other than Johnny Depp, nominated for the Best Actor for "Finding Neverland," released commercially across India this past week.
Depp has had to come through the crucible to prove his mettle when lesser men have had to do so by fire. He has had to bide his time in the shadows long enough for many a man to overtake him in the popularity stakes.
In fact, till "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" came through a year ago, it seemed Depp had missed the bus, and many a mistake of emerging youth was taking a toll on the man, gradually receding from the prime of his youth. And the neglected genius of Depp seemed destined to be just that — neglected.
He had talent. He had combustible temperament. He longed for expression. Then, one day, everything changed. As Captain Sparrow of "Pirates of the Caribbean ... " he was nominated as the Best Actor for an Oscar. In that single stroke gone was the heartburn of the early years when he sought popularity but courted notoriety.
At 15 he had dropped out of school just when kids his age were finding the first sprouts of ambition.
He still beseeched fame, made friends with guys and got involved in garage bans. The Kids happened. Depp wanted to be a rock musician.
Back on track
But fate decided otherwise. And he seemed almost resigned to a life of anonymity. The Oscar nights seemed as accessible as yesterday.
Then, one day, fate intervened again. This time, he met Nicolas Cage, now making headlines with "National Treasure." And Depp's career was finally on track.
An FBI agent, an undercover agent, a cop, a pirate, he seemed to have a fascination for the dark and sombre. Like the colours of much of his life.
Then again fate came calling. The man, who had held his own in front of the likes of Orlando Bloom and Al Pacino was destined to stand aside and applaud the winner. Once again he came second best. At Oscar's this time. That it was still an achievement says a lot about the man who has had nominations for BAFTA, Broadcast Film Critics Award Association Awards, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, but never won any.
The only time anonymity went on leave, and Depp capitalised on the moment, was when he won the Empire Award for "Pirates of the Caribbean."
Now, it might just be his turn, his year, his moment. He has just been nominated as the Best Actor for "Finding Neverland," a film so gentle, a film so beautiful that one slips into London of 1903 without ever realising that history is upon one.
Ready for centre-stage
As Barrie, the playwright on the look out for a new date with destiny for his work, Depp married persuasive charm with relentless understatements. And so effortlessly made Sparrow a memory that many believed he was born to be a playwright, spending more moments of uneasy leisure with a widow than with a beautiful wife.
The nuances were for the discerning, the hairstyle and the body language were for the connoisseurs. All telling one that here is an artiste desperate to move beyond the silhouettes to occupy the centre-stage. Just like the playwright in the film.
Maybe, with "Finding Neverland," Depp's much-awaited moment might just be here, and the man who once sold ballpoint pens may just find his mark on the Oscar's night.
But then he might not. After all, he has never been destiny's favourite child.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
