‘Black Mass’ Star Johnny Depp Is Rarely Recognizable On-Screen

Johnny Depp fans eagerly await the release of Black Mass this weekend, not only because it looks like the best gangster film since The Departed, but because it could also be a return to form for Depp. The guy’s had some misfires in recent years, but, hey, it happens.

One thing that Black Mass has in common with much of Johnny Depp’s recent work is that he looks almost unrecognizable in his role as Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger. Depp’s no stranger to onscreen transformations, of course. He has been sending movie costume designers and makeup artists into overdrive since the early 1990s. Over the years, Johnny Depp’s looks have ranged from whimsically creepy to supernaturally creepy to fairy tale creepy to his current look, America’s most wanted creepy.

Starting at the beginning, here is a timeline of all those roles where Johnny Depp was transformed onscreen.

Edward Scissorhands, Edward Scissorhands — 1990

Johnny Depp spent most the ’80s playing regular — but exceptionally good-looking — guys, then Tim Burton came along and changed all that forever. Burton took pretty-boy Depp and turned him into the friendly freak next door with Edward Scissorhands, and things have never been the same since. Definitely not a bad first entry to kick off Depp’s foray into playing odd-looking characters.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Raoul Duke — 1998

It’s all about that bald cap here. Depp perfectly captured the manic brilliance of the late Hunter S. Thompson with this role and took us on a ride fueled by uppers and downers. The orange-tinted aviators and the cigarette holder all added to a perfect look that made you almost forget it was Johnny Depp onscreen and not Thompson himself.

Before Night Falls, Bon Bon — 2000

Yikes! Johnny Depp does not make an attractive woman. Maybe another boa could help? This is fairly early into Depp’s career of dressing up in costume, and his character is generally supposed to look like he’s had a beauty makeover courtesy of the Dollar Store.

Pirates of the Caribbean, Captain Jack Sparrow — 2003

Part Keith Richards, part gypsy fortune teller, Depp pretty much told the costume department to put as much stuff on his head as possible. Beads, bandanas, random bones, whatever. Just toss it up there. I’m not sure if pirates wore eyeliner, but who’s to say they didn’t? Especially when a $10 million paycheck is involved.

Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Agent Sands — 2003

What gives? Johnny Depp looks totally normal here. Oh, wait a second, he has NO EYEBALLS. Yes, you can still recognize that it’s him, but c’mon. It ain’t Johnny D if, instead of looking into those big brown eyes, all you see is two gaping black, soulless voids dripping blood.

The Libertine, Rochester — 2004

Goofy wig, but not exactly unrecognizable. What’s the big dea–

Holy sh*t! What has that creature done with People‘s Sexiest Man Alive circa 2003? Depp’s character came down with a nasty case of syphilis and ended up looking like a chicken cutlet that somebody tried to flush down the toilet. His nose pretty much falls off, but dude covered it up with that silver schnoz piece, so it’s hardly noticeable. That wonky eye, though, is definitely not going to win over any ladies.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka — 2005

Gene Wilder Willy Wonka — eccentric, but still likable. Johnny Depp Willy Wonka — not a guy who should be luring kids into his house with candy. That face has Amber Alert written all over it. The only thing that was creepier than Depp’s Wonka haircut, eyes, and smile was his speaking voice. Scratch that, nothing’s creepier than that demented Wonka grin.

 Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatter — 2010

Welcome to Tim Burton’s acid dream, starring Johnny Depp as the mayor of Nightmare Town. Depp reached the pinnacle of Burton weirdness with Alice in Wonderland. The Bozo the Clown hair, the white face, the neon yellow eyes, and even the David Letterman tooth gap come together to make a brilliantly horrifying attempt to make your girlfriend forget that this man once starred in Chocolat. Somebody seal that rabbit hole up with concrete and let’s forget it ever existed.

Dark Shadows, Barnabas Collins — 2012

Johnny Depp’s been ghostly pale so many times, I’m beginning to think that is his permanent skin tone, and any other time we see him, he’s just had a spray tan. The guy’s got a bit of a Justin Bieber-goth thing going on with that hair, and those fingernails are looking even more dangerous than the fangs. This is Depp and Burton’s most recent collaboration to date, and who knows what the next incarnation will look like, but you can rest assure that Depp will probably look like he’s suffering from a vitamin D deficiency.

21 Jump Street, Tom Hanson — 2012

Yes, it might have only been a 30-second cameo (and at least half-expected), but admit it, you had no idea that grizzled biker was Depp.

The Lone Ranger, Tonto — 2013

Under all that makeup is an actor who once made movies like Blow and Donnie Brasco, but has now been fully engulfed by the Disney machine. Let’s forget about the facepaint, the beads, and wig. The guy’s got a dead bird on his head. And not even a realistic-looking dead bird, but a bird that had probably spent the last 40 years in a cardboard box marked “Munsters Props.”

Tusk, Guy Lapointe — 2014

For Tusk, Depp brought out his best Rust Cohle look with a touch of French baguette salesman. This disguise was definitely a welcomed departure from his recent streak of total kookiness and not a trace of eyeliner to be found.

 Black Mass, James “Whitey” Bulger — 2015

This most recent transformation by Johnny Depp might just be his best look yet. The giant forehead with the skin that looks like there’s an invisible string pulling it back, the beady eyes, and those teeth. Those are teeth that have most certainly had a lifelong affair with lady Lucky Strike, and that lone dead tooth would make Maureen Ponderosa flinch.

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