Johnny Depp: 21 hair dos and don'ts (2024)

Table of Contents

'Black Mass' (2015) 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series 'Chocolat' (2000) 'Transcendence' (2014) 'Sleepy Hollow' (1999) 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' (1993) '21 Jump Street' (1987–1990) 'Finding Neverland' (2004) 'Edward Scissorhands' (1990) / 'Sweeney Todd' (2007) 'The Lone Ranger' (2013) 'The Libertine' (2004) 'Blow' (2001) 'The Tourist' (2010) 'Dark Shadows' (2012) 'Alice in Wonderland' (2010) 'Before Night Falls' (2000) 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (2005) 'Don Juan DeMarco' (1995) 'The Astronaut's Wife' (1999) 'Secret Window' (2004) 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' (1998(

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'Black Mass' (2015)

Johnny Depp rocks the receding hairline to portray real-life mobster/murderer/monster Whitey Bulger. While we appreciate the accuracy, paired with blue contact lenses, the results have us terrified. Just sayin'. D-. —Megan Daley

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'Pirates of the Caribbean' series

Ah, an iconic 'do that puts the ''hot'' in ''hot mess.'' Note: Despite what 11 years of Halloween costumes might have you believe, Depp is literally the only man alive who can pull this one off. A —Hillary Busis

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'Chocolat' (2000)

Playing a gypsy musician is arguably the sexiest Johnny Depp has ever been and ever will be. That being said, if you're looking at nothing but his hair in this film, it could've been sexier. Sure, the man was able to pull off the ponytail with grace, but it could've been better. C+ —Samantha Highfill

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'Transcendence' (2014)

This is what happens when Johnny sheds his glorious locks so his consciousness can be uploaded to a mysterious super computer. It's not a good look. D —Hillary Busis

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'Sleepy Hollow' (1999)

Top-form Depp: Just long enough to show off his enviable texture, subtle enough (and possibly natural) highlights that popped against the grim New England setting. Let's just say the horseman wasn't the only one losing his head over this hotness. A- —Lanford Beard

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'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' (1993)

Long locks? Check. That weird reddish blond color? Never again. I'm willing to forgive Johnny for this mishap considering it was one of his breakout dramatic roles, but was there really not a hairstylist on set? C- —Samantha Highfill

'21 Jump Street' (1987–1990)

Vintage Depp. Apparently posing as a high school kid and channeling Sid Vicious were one and the same in the late '80s. You can't deny it, though: This look is badass. B+ —Lanford Beard

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'Finding Neverland' (2004)

Typically, Depp looks best when he's rocking longer locks, but this movie was the exception. The cut was fantastic and really showed off his cheekbones. That being said, there were two ways he styled his hair, and each deserves its own grade. The slicked back do gets a B, but that relaxed, no-gel-needed look deserves an A. —Samantha Highfill

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'Edward Scissorhands' (1990) / 'Sweeney Todd' (2007)

Not everything gets better with age. Sporting similar coiffures in two Tim Burton projects 17 years apart, Depp gained a skunk patch and lost a lot of edge. If his Edward look was a flash of wacky topiary inspiration, Sweeney's style feels like a wilted lily. Edward: B Sweeney: C- —Lanford Beard

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'The Lone Ranger' (2013)

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Nice try, Disney—but we all know this wig is just Jack Sparrow's hair topped with an Angry Bird. F —Hillary Busis

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'The Libertine' (2004)

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As 1980s Cher is my witness! This wig is wearing him, not the other way around. F —Lanford Beard

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'Blow' (2001)

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Did somebody say Breck Girl—er, guy? It's nice to know that even when he's smuggling enough cocaine to cover a ski slope, Depp's George Jung still has time for proper haircare. B+ —Hillary Busis

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'The Tourist' (2010)

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Depp's Tourist hair was not unlike the film itself: On paper, every individual element added up to a surefire hit; in reality, it just wasn't right. B- —Lanford Beard

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'Dark Shadows' (2012)

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Depp is a master of disguise. He's also a master of sex appeal. But in this film, he was only one of those things. Sorry, but nobody looks good with their hair dyed jet black and plastered to their head with some weird wispy bangs. D- —Samantha Highfill

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'Alice in Wonderland' (2010)

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Do the eyebrows grow into the terrifying clown hair? No. No. No. F+ (The plus is for whimsy!) —Hillary Busis

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'Before Night Falls' (2000)

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Girl, please. Owen Gleiberman called Depp's turn in the Reinaldo Arenas biopic ''triumphant,'' but his look? Not so much. Sure, it is contextually appropriate, but that doesn't make it chic. D+ —Lanford Beard

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'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (2005)

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The bitchin' top hat is true to original illustrations of Willy Wonka, but the pageboy crop has an unsavory quality. (Maybe it's the Michael Jackson element?) C- —Hillary Busis

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'Don Juan DeMarco' (1995)

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This one's tough. The length is almost right, and I appreciate the lack of a bad dye job. When windblown, this cut is nearly perfect, but on its own, it doesn't quite hit the mark. B —Samantha Highfill

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'The Astronaut's Wife' (1999)

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This forgettable thriller (Depp's lowest-rated film to date—which updatead to The Professor (2018)) proved that blondes don't have more fun. The cut is fine, if a little dull, but it was almost identical to the one sported by his on-screen wife Charlize Theron. Couples should share a lot of things, but a hairstyle isn't one of them. C+ —Lanford Beard

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'Secret Window' (2004)

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Playing a recluse with multiple personality disorder required Depp's hair to be a little off its game. The dye job was poor, and the messiness was at an all-time high, but still, there was something about that cut that just worked. And as soon as he put that hair underneath a hat, all was right in the world again. B —Samantha Highfill

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'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' (1998(

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Depp can't be blamed for the fact that real-life inspiration Hunter S. Thompson was bald. Still, there was a time when we thought Johnny Depp could do no wrong, looks-wise...and then this trippy film taught us the true meaning of Fear and Loathing: Living in a future in which Depp succumbs to male pattern baldness. F- —Lanford Beard