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Johnny Depp is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, with a long and illustrious career that spans over three decades. Over the years, he has played a wide variety of characters, from the quirky pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series to the eccentric wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts series to an enigmatic vampire named Barnabas Collins in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows.
However, not every role that crossed his path was a perfect fit for him. In fact, there were several movies that he turned down, some of which went on to become massive hits.
Aside from the parts he turned down, Johnny Depp was recently sacked from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean series and forced to depart the Harry Potter spin-off series, Fantastic Beasts. This occurred after his ex-wife, Amber Heard, published an opinion piece in The Washington Post in which she described being a victim of domestic violence. In one of the most controversial cases of 2022, he sued her for defamation over the op-ed and denied all allegations made against him.
Here are some of the most famous movies that Johnny Depp said "no" to:
Titanic and 4 other super-hit movies that Johnny Depp could have starred in
1) Speed (1994)
In this gripping thriller, Keanu Reeves may have made the role of LAPD officer Jack Traven his own, but Johnny Depp was initially considered for the gig. Depp felt that the storyline was too mechanical and predictable, despite director Jan de Bont's belief that the actor would bring a distinctive vitality to the character.
Johnny Depp turned down the opportunity, allowing Reeves to take over and emerge as an independent action figure. But imagining him as Jack Traven is not that difficult as he has already played the role of a detective in the 2001 movie From Hell.
2) Titanic (1997)
As strange as it may be to comprehend, Johnny Depp was initially offered the part of Jack Dawson before Leonardo DiCaprio in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster, Titanic.
Depp had already gained recognition as an actor at the time, having starred in movies like Donnie Brasco and Edward Scissorhands. He ultimately made the decision to decline the opportunity because he thought the script was too sentimental.
While it's hard to predict how Johnny Depp's interpretation of the role would have played out, it's safe to say that DiCaprio's performance was nothing short of iconic and legendary.
3) Face/Off (1997)
Another eminent movie that Johnny Depp turned down was 1997 hit Face/Off. Directed by John Woo and starring Nicolas Cage and John Travolta, the movie is about an FBI agent and a terrorist who switch faces in a perilous surgery.
While Depp was initially interested in the role of Sean Archer, the FBI agent, he ultimately decided to pass due to a rather weird reason. According to reports, Johnny Depp dropped out of the movie because he assumed it was about hockey and got disappointed when he learnt that it wasn't.
Ultimately, John Travolta was cast in the role and delivered a memorable performance that helped make the movie a box office success.
4) The Matrix (1999)
One of the most surprising movies that Johnny Depp turned down was The Matrix. Released in 1999, the movie was a groundbreaking sci-fi action thriller that revolutionized the genre with its innovative special effects and mind-bending plot.
At the time, Depp was at the height of his fame, having starred in movies like Edward Scissorhands and Sleepy Hollow. However, he apparently wasn't interested in taking on the role of Neo, the chosen one who leads humanity's fight against the machines.
According to reports, Depp rejected the role as he was simply too busy with other projects and didn't want to commit to a franchise. The role eventually went to Keanu Reeves, who became synonymous with the character, Neo's iconic trench coat and sunglasses.
Although it's interesting to speculate what The Matrix would have been like with Johnny Depp in the lead, it's hard to imagine anyone other than Reeves pulling off the role with such style and charisma.
5) The Dark Knight (2008)
Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight was a genre game-changer and one of the most widely acclaimed and financially successful superhero films of all time.
Johnny Depp reportedly received proposals from Christopher Nolan to play the role of the DC villain Riddler in a prospective sequel that was in the making. The actor denied the rumors but he did confess that despite being a major admirer of the Batman comics, he was hesitant to accept the part in Nolan's film adaptation. This was due to worries that he wouldn't be able to match Heath Ledger's legendary portrayal of Joker.
Depp also disclosed that he was in line to play Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever, which was eventually played by Val Kilmer.
Although some Johnny Depp fans were disheartened that he didn't feature in these films, he has since gone on to have a quite triumphant career with films like Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Alice in Wonderland and the Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise.
Depp bagged the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his performance in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. He hasn't won any Academy Awards as of yet but was nominated for Best Actor in 2004 for his role in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, in 2005 for Finding Neverland, and also in 2008 for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
After the scare that his career might be coming to an end because of Amber Heard's allegations against him, fans of Johnny Depp are still hopeful for his return to cinema. Although, Heard has now launched a countersuit of $100 million against Depp for defaming her and characterizing her abuse allegations as a hoax.
