Thursday, February 26, 2009

Why Johnny Depp makes a great standard for a hero

Let’s start with how insanely handsome he is, which is always nice to have in a hero. I like that he’s very private, hates interviews, and avoids photographers so much, he moved to France to get away from the paparazzi.
He’s rarely photographed with his wife, and almost never with his children.

He didn’t sell baby pictures of his children.

He is vocal in his adoration of his children and his wife. He is ridiculously talented, Maureen would know how many oscar nom’s he’s gotten, and I like that he chooses roles that interest and challenge him, rather than always for the money.
Not that I’m against money..

So we have a talented actor who is also a devoted family man.

What really makes him hero fare is that he is the reformed bad boy. He used to smoke, drink lots, trash hotel rooms and date models. He was known, at one point, for his bad behavior, then he moved to France, met the right woman and became the man above.

Oversimplified, I know, but the reformed bad boy is incredibly rare as most women will attest. It’s almost impossible to change a man, which is why so many smart women marry nice guys, who were always nice.

But the appeal of reforming the bad boy is delicious.

And while the good guy is great husband material in real life, where’s the conflict? It will be bad boys for me, at least in my stories.

11 comments:

Amy Ruttan said...

Johnny makes my heart melt when he talks about his wife and kids.

My heart ached when he almost lost his little girl a year or two back.

And I like who he does kooky and crazy because they are interesting characters. I am a HUGE Tim Burton fan.

Amy Ruttan said...

I also love him in Chocolat, *swoon*.

Anonymous said...

Chocolat was wonderful, loved it too.

And I've loved him in almost everything he's done for the past five years. He has a new movie coming out with Christian Bale, which sounds delicious..

Corey said...

Johnny Depp always has been a total babe, for exactly all of the reasons you stated. I like the idea of reformed bad boys, but I also *relish* the idea of turning a good boy into a bit of a bad boy. There's something wildly appealing about uncovering the dark side, and having the right woman do this.

Molly O'Keefe said...

what was that....christian bale and Johnny Depp? Say it's so Sinead!!

Yeah, that Johnny has a good story - totally romance fodder. He was saved by the love of a good woman... who sadly, was not me.

Interesting flip with the good guy going bad -

Just finishing Stephanie Doyle's Suspect Lover and seriously, for readers and writers of catagory romance -- you need to check this book out. What Stephanie Manages to do with every book is flip the rules, or dodge them maybe. Anyway - she does things that other people just can't pull off. These characters like each other - love each other even and are together and THAT enhances the conflict - it's really well done.

Anonymous said...

Yes - I did in fact pay Molly to say those nice those things. :) Check is on the way!

Johnny Depp is the actor you can't look away from. And more than Sean Penn (who I have finally admitted I have to give serious props too) Depp is just that much more interesting to me because of his sex appeal.

Love him. And apparently Bale has got some anger issues so maybe he's looking for the right woman to settle him down. Me! Me!

Steph

Anonymous said...

Marry Johhny Depp, have a brief, passionate, really intense affair with Bale...

That's how I'm planning on it.

Corey said...

Per Molly's comment -- what exactly *are* the rules? You guys have probably discussed this before, please forgive my ignorance. The only rule I'm aware of is the happy ending bit. @Stephanie -- is your latest book going to be available electronically, esp. eReader.com? I read books on my iPhone.

Maureen McGowan said...

Great post, Sinead. He is the plot of a lot of great romance novels.

But in the comments you have stolen my secret life plan!!! (To marry Johnny and have a secret affair with Christian on the side.) ;-)

Molly O'Keefe said...

Corey - there aren't any hard and fast "rules" but there are a lot of things that people for good or bad consider "rules". And one of the devices/rules that a lot of writers use, especially for series romance because the word count is so short and the emphasis is always on romantic conflict, is that the hero and heroine have to be at odds in the beginning of the book. Two dogs with some kind of bone between them - nice, huh? Could I put that any less romantically? In Suspect Lover - there is no bone (please refrain from saying what all of us are thinking, Sinead.) Two people, lots of secrets, but they LIKE each other. I know it's not that big of a deal, but man it struck me-- Because there's no lack on conflict!!! They like each other but it's the kind of like with all sorts of impending dooooooooom surrounding it.
We've all read lots of series books wherein the characters like each other and we're asleep by page two. I know I have - superromance used to be filled with that sort of thing.

Anyway - that's my take on it. good book and yes, Corey it is available electronically.

Heidi the Hick said...

GAh! I can't believe almost missed this post!

Well I just adore him. He's my absolute favourite actor (other than Daffy Duck, of course.)

It's true about the reformed bad boy. I married one. He's a sweet guy, but spent his teen years drinking a 24 all by himself, driving a barely legal 4x4, playing guitar... he's a sweet guy, really, but he'll never cut his hair short.

As for Johnny- he can do no wrong for me. On top of all we've agreed on here, he also loves a good story, and he's a pretty darn good writer himself!

(Depp and Bale movie = Public Enemies. I think it's out in May or June!)

As for our favourite hero

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