What is Acting?

Johnny Depp returns to theatres this weekend as the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow in the sequel to "Pirates of the Caribbean". The first film was a straightforward 'check-your-brain-at-the-door' type of deal and the sequel is no different. It's a great movie and it lives up to what a sequel is supposed to be. Johnny Depp continues his spin as the indomitable Captain with his usual style and again the debate raged as to whether you can call it acting or not. The debate stems from the fact that rumor has it that Johnny Depp based his portrayal on the famous Rolling Stone... Keith Richards. Whether that's true or not is beside the point; many folks argue that basing a characterization on someone is not truly acting.

I have done a bit of acting on and off over the years and I don't consider myself an expert by any means. There are those who go in for method acting or deep background research into roles. I just try to understand the character in the context of the story and base my portrayal on either someone I know who fits the mold or someone who resembles the character I am portraying. That's sort of what Johnny Depp did. But is that truly acting?

I would argue that it is. If you're basing your character on someone or something, you are still working to convey that characterization. Johnny Depp deftly portrays Sparrow as being all there but with a few screws missing. Seeing how he has acted in other roles proves that this isn't Johnny Depp in another costume but rather as another person. That's what acting is; being able to convince someone that you are someone else. Johnny Depp has been around for a number of years and has played a variety of characters. We have numerous roles to compare to say that indeed he is able to portray a wide variety of people.

But what about someone who isn't as exposed? Take for example Brandon Routh, the newest Superman. Many of those who have seen the movie have commented on the fact that his portrayal and mannerisms are eerily similar to the late Christopher Reeve who essayed the role during the late 70's and early 80's. One could argue again that this isn't acting but look at the movie as a whole. "Superman Returns" was to be a tribute to the Richard Donner classic. I think it succeeded because we saw a successor to Christopher Reeve. Brandon Routh being a relative newcomer is a fresh slate with a handful of roles. We can't say whether he can do any other roles, but his efforts to harken back to Reeve have been successful. That was the goal and I think he and Bryan Singer were successful.

Routh took inspiration from Reeve, Depp from Richards. These characters do come alive with their portrayals. The success of this method is based on the fact as to whether you spend the movie wondering who they based their character on or if you are fully invested in the story. I for one was invested in the story and would consider their works of acting a success.