Future of Movie Stars: Who Will Shine? Who Will Fade Away?

[Cobalt Stargazer]

10 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone have both tried to play those kind of roles, but they look like little girls playing dress-up when they try. They're always been more "cute-pretty" than the sexy vixen type- which is why they've both seen as kind of the American Sweetheart.

Margot is filling a niche that hasn't really been filled since Angelina Jolie or Catherine Zeta Jones as the sexy, young but not girlish bombshell that can act.

Well, I don't know about Jennifer and Emma, but wasn't Julia Roberts actually known as America's Sweetheart for a long time? Pretty Woman was released in 1990, (and Christ but that makes me feel old), and except for a few things after that, she was cast as the attractive, desirable one. Whether or not she's actually the egotistical nightmare to work with that some people have claimed she is, I have no idea, but she was consistently getting fairly plum roles.

IMO, it isn't so much that Stone and Lawrence are too young to play sexpots, I think it's that their acting styles are wrong for it. Particularly Stone, who comes off as very bouncy and energetic when she's onscreen, which is the antithesis of the slinky type Michelle Pfeiffer played in The Fabulous Baker Boys. And JL is too solemn, almost grave, with the exception of her turn in American Hustle, which wasn't so much sexy as it was hard-for-her-years, like Ree Dolly had borrowed someone else's clothes for a night out on the town.

[methodwriter85]

I never said that Stone and Lawerence were too young to play sexpots. It's that they don't do it believably, and they come off more as little girls in dress-up than a sexy moll type.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

4 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I never said that Stone and Lawerence were too young to play sexpots. It's that they don't do it believably, and they come off more as little girls in dress-up than a sexy moll type.

Ah! I misinterpreted "looking like little girls playing dress-up" as a comment on their respective ages, and I do agree with you. They're both attractive women, but they're not conventionally "hot".

[Trini]

On 5/21/2016 at 8:10 PM, methodwriter85 said:

I was thinking to myself that what Margot Robbie really has going for is this "mature sexuality". Like she can play the believable siren.

Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone have both tried to play those kind of roles, but they look like little girls playing dress-up when they try. They're always been more "cute-pretty" than the sexy vixen type- which is why they've both seen as kind of the American Sweetheart.

Margot is filling a niche that hasn't really been filled since Angelina Jolie or Catherine Zeta Jones as the sexy, young but not girlish bombshell that can act.

I haven't seen all their films, but have Lawrence and Stone been willing to be filmed topless? Being seen bare-breasted might have some part to play in how Robbie is perceived as having this "mature sexuality", siren/bombshell niche. (Not the only factor, of course.)

[pivot]

Jennifer Lawrence is definitely considered conventionally hot. She's got a perfect body and blonde hair. Emma Stone is more cute.

I can't say that Robbie has impressed me in couple of movies I've seen her in. She seems like the interchangeable hot actress of the moment. 

[Danny Franks]

I find Emma Stone the most attractive of those three, by far. Because she seems to bring personality and charm to every role she plays, which is far more than can be said for Lawrence, and I don't know enough about Robbie's work to comment yet.

Jennifer Lawrence, for all she seems like a fun personality in real life, shows all the charm of a lump of sandstone, in any movie I've seen her in. I've no clue how she managed to convince so many people she's a great actress.

[UYI]

21 hours ago, pivot said:

Jennifer Lawrence is definitely considered conventionally hot. She's got a perfect body and blonde hair. .

 

 

He may have been talking more about her face. I can see how some--fairly or not--might see it as less conventionally hot and more "quirky", for lack of a better word (I still think she's pretty, though). 

21 hours ago, Trini said:

I haven't seen all their films, but have Lawrence and Stone been willing to be filmed topless? 

 

Jen had a brief topless scene in Silver Linings Playbook, but it was shot from the back, and it was from a distance, so nothing was actually seen. 

Edited May 23, 2016 by UYI

[methodwriter85]

Her face is more "cute" and "quirky" than conventionally pretty/beautiful. Her best example of a "sexy" role would be American Hustle, and the character herself was basically a little girl with daddy issues playing dress-up to try and get attention from her too-old husband. I don't really think it was supposed to really be a "bombshell" type role, either.

It might not even really be looks with her, because as people have said before, she has a really had time with generating romantic chemistry with her co-stars, save for Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook. It's going to be really interesting to see how Passengers goes, which is going to live or die on whether she and Chris Pratt have good chemistry.

But in any event, I do feel like part of why Margot Robbie just came out of nowhere and took off over these past couple of years is because she fulfills that "sexy womanly bombshell that can actually act" role that hasn't really been filled since Catherine Zeta Jones or Angelina Jolie a decade ago, or Sharon Stone/Demi Moore back in the '90s. (Scarlett Johannson could have done that, but she seems happier to just do some Marvel stuff to keep the bills paid while doing a lot of quirky indie stuff.) I can't see either Emma Stone or Jennifer Lawrence pulling this scene off, for example. (VERY NSFW.)

I think Margot took a pretty shallow part (trophy wife) in the Wolf of Wall Street and really breathed some life into her. (I read the book, and Naomi isn't as interesting as Margot made her.) She really went toe-to-toe with Leo, and it's cool to see her star rising right now.

In other news, Hollywood, please stop trying to make Chloe Grace Moretz happen. She's never gonna happen.

Edited May 24, 2016 by methodwriter85

[Athena]

13 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

It might not even really be looks with her, because as people have said before, she has a really had time with generating romantic chemistry with her co-stars, save for Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook. It's going to be really interesting to see how Passengers goes, which is going to live or die on whether she and Chris Pratt have good chemistry.

Pratt is charismatic enough to generate the chemistry for them both. She has a lot of chemistry with her costars as friends IRL; she generally does well in interviews. However, I do agree she does not seem to generate much romantic chemistry in her movie roles. Pratt and Lawrence filmed a particularly racy love scene apparently so I guess that'll be a good test.

[vb68]

Quote

But in any event, I do feel like part of why Margot Robbie just came out of nowhere and took off over these past couple of years is because she fulfills that "sexy womanly bombshell that can actually act" role that hasn't really been filled since Catherine Zeta Jones or Angelina Jolie a decade ago, or Sharon Stone/Demi Moore back in the '90s. 

The one who she reminds me the most of is Charlize just because when Charliize first hit, it was kinda like "Oh yeah, she's a star."  I remember she had a nothing girlfriend part in "That Thing You Do" but she was just so electric on the screen, and you knew she was already beyond those parts. I think Margot has that electricity too, and it's not a blond thing.  It's just that it was easy to see she has the goods.  As soon as it was announced she was cast as Harley Quinn, that just felt so perfect before anything was even shot.

Edited May 25, 2016 by vb68

[raezen]

I think both Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone are beautiful women but I don't think I could see either of them doing a film like Original Sin. But Margot Robbie I think could. 

[icewolf]

Johnny Depp getting divorced by Amber Heard. Didn't sign a pre-nup.

Depp's mother died 3 days ago.

Oh boy.

[methodwriter85]

It's crazy to me how fucked up Johnny Depp's been over the past couple of years. I guess his mother's illness might have been something to do with it?

He seemed like a relatively sane, low-key celebrity until the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise made him a LOT of money, and then things went crazy.

Quote

The one who she reminds me the most of is Charlize just because when Charliize first hit, it was kinda like "Oh yeah, she's a star."  I remember she had a nothing girlfriend part in "That Thing You Do" but she was just so electric on the screen, and you knew she was already beyond those parts. I think Margot has that electricity too, and it's not a blond thing.  It's just that it was easy to see she has the goods.

Yeah, that makes sense. It wasn't until she uglied herself up for Monster that people realized that she really was a great actress.

Margot seems to be going for the "uglied up" role in playing Tonya Harding. Or they might totally ignore that and keep her pretty. (It wasn't even that Tonya Harding was ugly; she just has/had really hideous fashion sense.)

[absnow54]

Personal life aside, it amazes me how much Amber Heard fails to make an impression. Looking at her filmography, I've probably seen a dozen of her movies, but don't recall her being in them (with the exception of Pineapple Express, maybe.) I feel like she's a duller version of Kristen Stewart. 

[methodwriter85]

She's basically the serviceable pretty blonde actress. Nothing more, nothing less.

She was always supposed to break out, but never did.

[UYI]

On 5/26/2016 at 1:08 PM, methodwriter85 said:

Margot seems to be going for the "uglied up" role in playing Tonya Harding. Or they might totally ignore that and keep her pretty. (It wasn't even that Tonya Harding was ugly; she just has/had really hideous fashion sense.)

The only thing about Margot playing Tonya Harding that I really find jarring now is that Tonya is only 5'1. Noticeably too tall to play Tonya (and yes, Tonya was really pretty when she was younger, and now that she's off the medication she took for her asthma some time ago and has lost weight, she looks better).

Hell, I'm curious about the actress who will play Nancy Kerrigan. Believe it or not, Nancy is only 5'4--her slender build, and the fact that she was so often only seen in her skates, IMO, made her look taller than she actually is. 

Edited May 27, 2016 by UYI

[SeanC]

On 5/26/2016 at 0:13 AM, icewolf said:

Johnny Depp getting divorced by Amber Heard. Didn't sign a pre-nup.

Depp's mother died 3 days ago.

Oh boy.

And Heard has now accused him of domestic violence and gotten a restraining order.

[Ambrosefolly]

On May 26, 2016 at 2:08 PM, methodwriter85 said:

It's crazy to me how fucked up Johnny Depp's been over the past couple of years. I guess his mother's illness might have been something to do with it?

He seemed like a relatively sane, low-key celebrity until the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise made him a LOT of money, and then things went crazy.

Vanessa seemed good for him. While I think alimony laws need to looked over in modern society, there are times when the spouse totally deserves the millions he or she gets. Mel Gibson's ex wife is one of them. Of course Vanessa doesn't get anything because she wasn't his wife. 

I wonder if Amber started freaking out because she is hitting 30, the age when parts start drying up. She lacks the presence people like Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence, so she would probably want to solidify so B-List movie career/TV career and I suspect being Johnny Depp's wife took up a lot of time.

Emma Stone reminds me a lot of Diane Keaton. 

Edited May 28, 2016 by Ambrosefolly

[dusang]

On 5/27/2016 at 6:02 PM, Ambrosefolly said:

I wonder if Amber started freaking out because she is hitting 30, the age when parts start drying up. She lacks the presence people like Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence, so she would probably want to solidify so B-List movie career/TV career and I suspect being Johnny Depp's wife took up a lot of time. 

Or he assaulted her and she left, as indicated by her documentation of the assault and the restraining order.

[Ambrosefolly]

1 minute ago, dusang said:

Or he assaulted her and she left, as indicated by her documentation of the assault and the restraining order.

I don't know what happened, while I am saying it isn't possible that it did happen, it is also possible that she is lying.

[Athena]

Please watch your tone with each other when posting. Always lean on the side of being civil and polite when disagreeing on these forums. Do not admonish each other. Thank you.

[methodwriter85]

On 5/27/2016 at 3:00 PM, UYI said:

The only thing about Margot playing Tonya Harding that I really find jarring now is that Tonya is only 5'1. Noticeably too tall to play Tonya (and yes, Tonya was really pretty when she was younger, and now that she's off the medication she took for her asthma some time ago and has lost weight, she looks better).

Hell, I'm curious about the actress who will play Nancy Kerrigan. Believe it or not, Nancy is only 5'4--her slender build, and the fact that she was so often only seen in her skates, IMO, made her look taller than she actually is. 

Amy Adams definitely would have been perfect, but she's just too old now to believably play someone in their early 20's.

There was no better casting than Heather Langenkemp as Nancy Kerrigan, so anything else will fall short.

As for Amber Heard, I'm not sure what to believe. Johnny doesn't seem to have a history of it, and for this to come out of nowhere in his 50's just doesn't suggest a pattern of abusive behavior. On the other hand, Johnny also seems to have gotten extremely fucked up over these past few years (his incoherent speeches at live events were uncomfortable to watch), so I wouldn't be surprised if he got so drunk that he didn't know what was up and hit her as a one-time incident.

[Serena]

2 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

As for Amber Heard, I'm not sure what to believe. Johnny doesn't seem to have a history of it, and for this to come out of nowhere in his 50's just doesn't suggest a pattern of abusive behavior.

He's been arrested more than once for this kind of behavior (assaulting a security guard in 89, trashing a hotel room while fighting with Kate Moss in 94 - I'm probably forgetting another one) and Winona Ryder said in an interview that he used to "smash everything" when they were dating and she was just 18 and he was almost 30 (and which she was so traumatized by, she had trouble doing a scene in Black Swan). Since the Amber accident is that he was yelling, smashing stuff and threw an iPhone that hit her in the face... that seems like exactly the kind of behaviour of which he has an extensive history. I'm kind of baffled at people who have trouble believing this, honestly! He's clearly on all kinds of drugs. Even the reports *clearly planted from his PR* admit that he was completely paranoid about her cheating on him. There are several public incidents where he has assaulted people and trashed rooms. And now, suddenly, people are baffled that he'd... trash a room and assault someone? It's his MO. He got sober when he was with Vanessa Paradis and had his kids, so I can believe the behaviour stopped for a while. But then he had his mid-life crisis and dumped Vanessa for the younger, hotter model and started boozing again... and he started acting like he did when he was younger and on drugs.

[slayer2]

44 minutes ago, Serena said:

He's been arrested more than once for this kind of behavior (assaulting a security guard in 89, trashing a hotel room while fighting with Kate Moss in 94 - I'm probably forgetting another one) and Winona Ryder said in an interview that he used to "smash everything" when they were dating and she was just 18 and he was almost 30 (and which she was so traumatized by, she had trouble doing a scene in Black Swan). Since the Amber accident is that he was yelling, smashing stuff and threw an iPhone that hit her in the face... that seems like exactly the kind of behaviour of which he has an extensive history. I'm kind of baffled at people who have trouble believing this, honestly! He's clearly on all kinds of drugs. Even the reports *clearly planted from his PR* admit that he was completely paranoid about her cheating on him. There are several public incidents where he has assaulted people and trashed rooms. And now, suddenly, people are baffled that he'd... trash a room and assault someone? It's his MO. He got sober when he was with Vanessa Paradis and had his kids, so I can believe the behaviour stopped for a while. But then he had his mid-life crisis and dumped Vanessa for the younger, hotter model and started boozing again... and he started acting like he did when he was younger and on drugs.

This is exactly what I've been saying. This behaviour isn't new for Johnny Depp, it's new for a new generation. He was arrested multiple times for things like, trashing a hotel room while his girlfriend was in the room and when speaking to police, blaming it on an armadillo that jumped out the window, (if people hated Bieber's deposition imagine what that one would have been like), assaulting a hotel attendant with a phone, assaulting paparazzi (for which he was arrested I believe), showing up drunk to premieres, being a drug addict, getting in drug fueled rows with Kate Moss yearly, proudly cutting himself, getting in bar brawls, trying to light himself on fire and prone to waves of narcissism that had him showing up repeatedly late for interviews, showing up repeatedly late on set and in inappropriate attire on 21 Jumpstreet in an effort to be let out of his contract. Also, just about any interview you read from the 90s has friends saying the same thing, he is a 'wonderful, gentle, sweet, loving man' UNTIL you put alcohol or drugs in his system. He also has domestic abuse in his family so it's not out of the realm of possibility from that negative experience alone.

I agree with Serena that this behaviour seemed to quell considerably with the union of him and Vanessa Paradis and I find it entirely believable that he never laid a hand on her or their children but absolutely would have/could have abused Heard. I found it disturbing from the jump that he up and left his partner of 14 years and mother of his children for someone 20+ years his junior and given his penchance for dating younger woman and his considerable talent at controlling them (Kate once said she most missed that Depp would tell her what to do and "took care" of her) it rings some alarm bells. Additionally we mustn't forget as Serena noted, that a mid to late-20s Johnny Depp began dating Winona when she was only 17 years old and began dating Kate Moss when she was 19/20 and he was in his 30's. He definitely seems to have a type and that type skews younger, Paradis seemed to be the rare exception to this. 

His club Viper Room was also the infamous site of River Phoenix overdose who had taken a speedball inside the club. I remember being upset as a child that the club hadn't shut down or faced any repercussions given what a terribly tragic and traumatizing incident it was (especially for Joaquin, known as Leaf at the time I believe). Throughout my life Depp has been synonymous with trouble as long as I can remember except that 14 year stretch with Paradis.

*Re: Bolded:I didn't even know about that Black Swan incident. Holy shit! Poor Winona!

Edited May 30, 2016 by slayer2

[Cobalt Stargazer]

2 hours ago, Serena said:

And now, suddenly, people are baffled that he'd... trash a room and assault someone? It's his MO. He got sober when he was with Vanessa Paradis and had his kids, so I can believe the behaviour stopped for a while. But then he had his mid-life crisis and dumped Vanessa for the younger, hotter model and started boozing again... and he started acting like he did when he was younger and on drugs.

The only flaw in the slaw for me is that there are reports that his family, including his children, detested Amber before this happened and before she accused him of throwing a phone at her. I suppose you could say they're pissed because she's gearing up to take him to the cleaners, and that he didn't put a prenuptial agreement in place makes him extra-crispy stupid, but unless they're all publicly ganging up on her now just for funsies, maybe they have valid reason to not be fond of her.

[slayer2]

38 minutes ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

The only flaw in the slaw for me is that there are reports that his family, including his children, detested Amber before this happened and before she accused him of throwing a phone at her. I suppose you could say they're pissed because she's gearing up to take him to the cleaners, and that he didn't put a prenuptial agreement in place makes him extra-crispy stupid, but unless they're all publicly ganging up on her now just for funsies, maybe they have valid reason to not be fond of her.

It makes tons of sense for them to dislike her (well I don't think it makes rational sense but) I mean it makes sense for them to blame her. For one, he left Paradis and their family for Heard so whatever she says pertaining to this situation is borderline irrelevant to me. But at the end of the day it seems to me that the reason abuse is so successful is because abusers don't treat everyone the same, it's doubtful that Depp treated Winona the way he treated Kate, it's unlikely that he was encouraging of Winona to use drugs, excessively drink and wile out all the time. His relationships are different with everyone, I seriously doubt he ever laid a hand on Paradis or his kids but Moss, and Heard makes more and more sense everyday. Depp's picked two woman who have been over-sexualized (one very young at the time as well) by Hollywood and it's an archetype that lends itself to the "gold digging wh**e" narrative.

Right now people are dragging Heard through the mud as if her bisexuality has some claim on her personality or reliability. There is within Hollywood and society a trope that female bisexuality merely exists because the woman is so sexually voracious that she cannot be satisfied by simply one gender. It is callous, primitive and disturbing and it's exactly what's happening to her at the minute. For his part Depp has always been a narcissist but you gotta figure what his ego must be like after 20 odd years of behaving badly, making terrible films that have little to no box office gross (pre-Pirates) and yet still being awarded large sums of money and afforded the opportunity to do whatever he damn well pleases at any given time with little to no repercussions. God help a female actor who tries that. 

 

BTW: Sick icon! I thought I was the only one who dug Connor! Love it!

Edited May 30, 2016 by slayer2

[Serena]

Lily Rose and Amber seemed to get along just fine until Amber left him and suddenly she became a gold digging slut everyone hated (at least according to the press and Depp's PR). But even if his children hated her, their father left their mom for a 20 year old bombshell - them not having somewhat negative, irrational feelings about her would require a level of maturity well beyond a couple of teenagers.

And yes, the biphobia his camp has been throwing - let's not forget that delightful piece of business.

[Bastet]

Quote

especially for Joaquin, known as Leaf at the time I believe

The little kid from Space Camp and the crazy guy on Letterman are one and the same?  Learn something new every day.

Carry on ...

[slayer2]

5 minutes ago, Bastet said:

The little kid from Space Camp and the crazy guy on Letterman are one and the same?  Learn something new every day.

Carry on ...

I just howled at that. Man, I can't tell you how long it took me to figure it out. I had such a crush on Leaf Phoenix from Parenthood and until the internet arrived it seemed he vanished into thin air. I was devastated.

 

The story is that because Joaquin was the only one born out of the States (in Puerto Rico) he was given a Spanish name while all his other siblings had hippie names like Rainbow and River and Joy so he changed it to Leaf to fit in and ended up changing it back some years later.

Edited May 30, 2016 by slayer2

[Rick Kitchen]

When is Hollywood going to realize that Johnny Depp can no longer deliver butts in the seats?

[slayer2]

Just now, Rick Kitchen said:

When is Hollywood going to realize that Johnny Depp can no longer deliver butts in the seats?

That's what I'm saying! Where are these $50million paycheques being justified?

[ribboninthesky1]

On 5/22/2016 at 10:32 PM, pivot said:

I can't say that Robbie has impressed me in couple of movies I've seen her in. She seems like the interchangeable hot actress of the moment. 

Agreed. For the longest time, I confused Robbie with Amber Heard.  If not for the Depp marriage, they'd still be the same person for me.

As for Depp, I agree with slayer2 and Serena. But then, I guess selective amnesia is easier when celebrity misbehavior mostly predates social media. I thought that Depp spent most of his years with Vanessa and kids in France.  I assumed he was who he's always been, but those allegedly tough French privacy laws made it easier to control his public image.     

[Cobalt Stargazer]

3 hours ago, slayer2 said:

Right now people are dragging Heard through the mud as if her bisexuality has some claim on her personality or reliability. There is within Hollywood and society a trope that female bisexuality merely exists because the woman is so sexually voracious that she cannot be satisfied by simply one gender. It is callous, primitive and disturbing and it's exactly what's happening to her at the minute. For his part Depp has always been a narcissist but you gotta figure what his ego must be like after 20 odd years of behaving badly, making terrible films that have little to no box office gross (pre-Pirates) and yet still being awarded large sums of money and afforded the opportunity to do whatever he damn well pleases at any given time with little to no repercussions. God help a female actor who tries that. 

 

BTW: Sick icon! I thought I was the only one who dug Connor! Love it!

Well, I guess if it came to a toss-up between being dragged through the mud because of being bisexual or being dragged through the mud due to suspicion of being a violent alcoholic abuser, I would probably pick the former with no qualms. Because from the second Amber accused Johnny of pitching an I Phone at her, his history of drinking and drugging and being out of control has become what this separation/divorce is all about. Sure, he's worth upwards of 400 million dollars and didn't have the fucking common sense to protect his assets in the event that something like this happened, and sure her biggest claim to fame  is being in Zombieland for all of ten minutes, but sure, let's blame the people who are mad at her because she's bi. 'Cause that's so logical.

Domestic violence is a serious issue, and it's a serious thing to accuse someone of. And maybe Depp even deserves to have people automatically think, ":Well, obviously he did it because she says he did it." But my cynical mind keeps going back to all those zeros his bank account entails, and it makes me wonder if she isn't trying to use whatever happened or didn't happen or might have happened as a bargaining chip.

P.S. - If you like Connor and Kartheiser as Connor, you should check out 2004's Dandelion. Michelle Forbes should not ever dye her hair blonde again because it makes her look like hell, but it's still a really good movie. :-)

[slayer2]

22 minutes ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Well, I guess if it came to a toss-up between being dragged through the mud because of being bisexual or being dragged through the mud due to suspicion of being a violent alcoholic abuser, I would probably pick the former with no qualms. Because from the second Amber accused Johnny of pitching an I Phone at her, his history of drinking and drugging and being out of control has become what this separation/divorce is all about. Sure, he's worth upwards of 400 million dollars and didn't have the fucking common sense to protect his assets in the event that something like this happened, and sure her biggest claim to fame  is being in Zombieland for all of ten minutes, but sure, let's blame the people who are mad at her because she's bi. 'Cause that's so logical.

Domestic violence is a serious issue, and it's a serious thing to accuse someone of. And maybe Depp even deserves to have people automatically think, ":Well, obviously he did it because she says he did it." But my cynical mind keeps going back to all those zeros his bank account entails, and it makes me wonder if she isn't trying to use whatever happened or didn't happen or might have happened as a bargaining chip.

P.S. - If you like Connor and Kartheiser as Connor, you should check out 2004's Dandelion. Michelle Forbes should not ever dye her hair blonde again because it makes her look like hell, but it's still a really good movie. :-)

 

That doesn't make any sense though. I'm going to step away from the proof in the pudding history that Johnny Depp has with violence and substance abuse (which shouldn't be stepped away from frankly)  and entertain the disturbing idea which Hollywood, the media and the majority so often entertain with respect to Women and POC which is to assign blame and guilt to the victim while never once considering the possibility of what they have attested. Let's say that Amber made this all up...what would she have to gain from it:

1. Her career: This has surely ruined her career faster than you can say problem child. With all the high-rolling celebrities happily pitching for Depp this would be a swing and a miss that even a baseball dummy could forecast.

2. Money: Accusing your husband of abuse after a 1.5 years marriage is not going to get you any more money than it would if you hadn't accused him, in fact it might get you less if the (very often male) judge assumes (as many Depp fans and folks in the media have) that you are lying. As well, Amber Heard has requested $50,000 a month in spousal support. This man is worth $400,000,000.00 and she is asking for $600,000.00 a year. Really? Couldn't even buy a gaudy Hollywood engagement ring with that.

3. To ruin his career: Sean Penn, Chris Brown, James Brolin, Sean Connery, Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Ozzy Osbourne, Charlie Sheen etc etc etc. Abuse didn't do anything to hinder to these men's careers, it never does (and this case is exactly why), if anything it made them more popular.

4. Spite: again at what cost, since all the Hollywood men are climbing out of the woodwork to proclaim Depp as the awesomest awesome who ever awesomed and since it's not going to affect his career or his $50,000,000.00 a film paycheque all it would serve to do is put her in the spotlight unnecessarily so the media and Depp fans can hurl vitriolic, homophobic, misogynistic abuse at her for forseeably the rest of her life.

5. She's insane: maybe, but since we have no historical evidence to support that she's insane and all the evidence to support that Depp flies off the handle irrationally and violently under the influence of alcohol and drugs and further evidence to support he has been heavily drinking recently (video shows him drunkenly accepting an award and drunkenly walking the red carpet) it stands to reason that it's more likely that he is insane than she is, which says more about the people who place the burden of blame on her than it does about Heard herself.

Edited May 30, 2016 by slayer2

[UYI]

As far as I'm concerned, I can completely believe that Amber Heard was abused by Johnny, while also thinking that she's a gold digger who had no problem participating in the breakup of a long term relationship (something I hold Depp equally responsible for as well). The two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, they could both easily be true, and the latter situation, while not cool by any means, does not justify the former at all, either. 

[slayer2]

7 minutes ago, UYI said:

As far as I'm concerned, I can completely believe that Amber Heard was abused by Johnny, while also thinking that she's a gold digger who had no problem participating in the breakup of a long term relationship (something I hold Depp equally responsible for as well). The two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, they could both easily be true, and the latter situation, while not cool by any means, does not justify the former at all, either. 

Werd.

[methodwriter85]

Okay, to be fair, I'm 30 and I was pretty much a little boy all throughout the late 80's/early 90's. I wasn't aware of him having problems like that. Robert Downey Jr. seemed like the poster boy for that instead. Good points, all.

Amber Heard, in terms of her career, pretty much stalled. She was never really able to break out as anything more than the pretty young blonde thing. It's funny to think that she appeared as Brie Larson's older sister in a movie called Remember the Daze- Amber had a pretty big part, and Brie was barely in it. Now Brie's poised to become the next great character actress like Amy Ryan or something. Maybe not A-list, but pretty solid and the type of career where she's still working well into her 50's.

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Agreed. For the longest time, I confused Robbie with Amber Heard.  If not for the Depp marriage, they'd still be the same person for me.

Don't forget the awesome accent. In event, Margot's got Harley Quinn in the Suicide Squad...if this hits the way everybody thinks it will hit, she'll have a pretty iconic role under her belt. But of course, that's only in the event the hype really does deliver.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

16 hours ago, slayer2 said:

1. Her career: This has surely ruined her career faster than you can say problem child. With all the high-rolling celebrities happily pitching for Depp this would be a swing and a miss that even a baseball dummy could forecast.

Two things, and then I'm gonna shut up about it, because this is probably the most I've thought about these two in months.

Did you know who Amber Heard is before this happened? I did, but that's because ten years ago she was in an episode of the TV show Criminal Minds playing an actress who was being stalked by a crazed female fan. Aside from that association, though, I'm not sure I could pick her out of a lineup, because she leaves almost zero impression. I'm not the one who called her a duller version of Kristen Stewart, but it's a fairly apt description.

As for Johnny, my educated guess is that he's already been tried and convicted by the court of public opinion, at least if the posts I've seen here about this whole mess are any indication. And maybe that's fair, I don't know. He's no longer the bright young thing, he hasn't made a decent movie in long enough that whatever general good will he might have had has long since faded, and if nothing else there's so much guilt by association because of the link to all those other over-privileged Hollywood types who have gotten away with a lot worse than throwing a cell phone at someone that he could be totally innocent and it still wouldn't matter. So maybe this will stick a fork in what's left of his non-Pirates career and he'll end up like Matthew McConaughey, annoying us until the end of time with nonsensical commercials about cars.

[Serena]

Unfortunately, this forum (and a few others, feminist-oriented spaces like Jezebel) are the exception. Try (or maybe don't, if you value your faith in humanity) looking at the comments on, for example, an Entertainment Weekly Facebook post about the case: 99% are about how Depp is the sweetest man alive and Amber is clearly a gold digging slut who's basically BOTH Amazing Amy from Gone Girl, but also dumb enough to forget to apply her obviously fake bruises while strolling through the streets cackling at having ruined a good man's life.

[vb68]

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1. Her career: This has surely ruined her career faster than you can say problem child. With all the high-rolling celebrities happily pitching for Depp this would be a swing and a miss that even a baseball dummy could forecast.

 

I don't know.  Isn't she still going to play Mera in the Aquaman movie?  Who knows how big a part it ultimately turns out to be, but it sounds (on paper at least) like a pretty sweet, high profile gig.

[ChelseaNH]

And after that?  It takes more than one good part to make a career.

[dusang]

34 minutes ago, vb68 said:

 

I don't know.  Isn't she still going to play Mera in the Aquaman movie?  Who knows how big a part it ultimately turns out to be, but it sounds (on paper at least) like a pretty sweet, high profile gig.

Also, that was secured before she filed for divorce.

[JBC344]

Yes, Amber Heard is playing Jason Momoa's wife in Aquaman, she is playing the role of the Queen of Atlantis.  Now she may not be as well known as other actresses in her age group but her career is certainly not in the toilet or done.

[methodwriter85]

6 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

So maybe this will stick a fork in what's left of his non-Pirates career and he'll end up like Matthew McConaughey, annoying us until the end of time with nonsensical commercials about cars.

Are you saying that Matthew McConaughey is a has-been? Because that doesn't really jibe with the fact that he recently won an Oscar, and he's seems pretty in-demand right now. He might not be pulling 20 million down anymore (if he ever did), but he's not hurting for work.

I'd actually say that he and Ben Affleck are probably the two best career resurrections of this current decade- both of them were hyped hard back in the late 90's/early 2000's, both of them fell into traps that ruined their credibility (McConaughey in crappy rom-coms, Affleck in crappy action movies), and both managed to redeem themselves critically at the start of the new decade.

[Serena]

What was Depp's last non-franchise hit, critical or commercial? The Alice sequel flopped. Pirates #343 will probably do well, but other than that, what does he have?

[Athena]

24 minutes ago, Serena said:

What was Depp's last non-franchise hit, critical or commercial? The Alice sequel flopped. Pirates #343 will probably do well, but other than that, what does he have?

A net worth of about $400 million give or take.

Depp has not really been able to lead a non-franchise film for almost a decade. A lot of his movies fared poorly at the box office. I believe Depp was talented at one point. I really liked some of his roles in the 90s, but I think Pirates was good for his bank account, not necessarily for roles or his ego. Since he became a true A-lister, he has chosen some really bad movies. He became too expensive for the more quirkier, art house films he should be in. He's not aged as well either. His recent Tim Burton collaborations have not turned out well for either of them.

I use to like him as an actor, but even before he met Amber Heard, his creative stuff was on the decline. I was getting the sense he had started phoning it in movies or believed some of his own hype.

With his level of fame, connections, and wealth, he'll still work if he wants it.

[Danny Franks]

I guess the main thing cinema-goers should take from this story is, there's going to be a whole load of shit Johnny Depp movies coming out over the next couple of years, so he can replenish his fortune. Wonderful. The only good movies he's made in the last twenty years were Donnie Brasco and Public Enemies anyway.

As for Amber Heard, whatever the truth is, I'm sure the Hollywood machine will make sure she doesn't get away with not wanting to be married to darling Depp any more.

[slf]

A few things I find interesting about the Heard/Depp situation:

1. He's making the exact same claims. He's saying she was the abusive one who would fly off the handle and his guards had to pull her off him repeatedly. Now, since Heard made her claims people have said things like "well, if he abused her then why did she stay? Why didn't she file with the police? Why didn't she have him arrested?" And yet? No one defending Depp is saying these things about him. A few are claiming ignorance of the charges he's leveling but since they're in virtually every article about it I'm not sure how that can be. 

2. Johnny has a history of violence. Which everyone coming to his defense is handwaving. Yet? Heard has no history of anything like this and yet people are saying, as Serena has pointed out, "Amber is clearly a gold digging slut who's basically BOTH Amazing Amy from Gone Girl, but also dumb enough to forget to apply her obviously fake bruises while strolling through the streets cackling at having ruined a good man's life." What I want to know is, why bother with elaborate theories about Heard being Amy Elliot Dunne? I mean, they're based on what, motivated by what? And why is Depp's history being treated like it's one mistake he made decades ago and people are being mean by dragging it up?

3. Almost everyone closest to him, that might've witnessed something and is defending him depends on him financially. His employees, like the security guards, and his kids (who still depend on him for money, even his daughter who acts now). Whereas Heard has people corroborating her story who aren't related to her, don't work for her, and outrank her socially and financially and so don't really benefit from helping her out. 

4. She has images of her bruised face.

5. Women who file for spousal support who have claimed abuse are less likely to get it not more so, and I'd have to imagine her lawyer told her this. So Depp might have a lot of cash but claiming abuse isn't going to get her any. So I don't see how the claims can be financially motivated.

Edited May 31, 2016 by slf

[UYI]

18 hours ago, Serena said:

What was Depp's last non-franchise hit, critical or commercial? The Alice sequel flopped. Pirates #343 will probably do well, but other than that, what does he have?

 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, maybe? That was in 2005. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

22 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Are you saying that Matthew McConaughey is a has-been? Because that doesn't really jibe with the fact that he recently won an Oscar, and he's seems pretty in-demand right now. He might not be pulling 20 million down anymore (if he ever did), but he's not hurting for work.

Not a has-been, maybe, but that doesn't preclude being annoying. McConaughey picked up the Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club in 2014, and got a Golden Globe nomination for his work in True Detective, but lost to Billy Bob Thornton. That he would choose to squander that awesomeness by doing commercials talking about what a Zen experience it is to drive a Lincoln (and someone in another thread pointed out that Wooderson wouldn't be caught dead behind the wheel of such an elitist douchebag car) aggravates me. If it's okay to wonder why his fellow Oscar winner Charlize Theron would shill for Dior perfume, I think Matthew should be fair game as well.

Edited June 1, 2016 by Cobalt Stargazer
to fix the bolding.