The famous female aviator, Amelia Earhart, once said, “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward” (“Amelia Earhart Quotes”).  Born on June 9th, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky, Johnny Depp has had face and overcome many obstacles, and he has pushed to do so (“Depp, Johnny”).  Being the youngest of his parents four children he thought he had to prove it to himself, even when the people around him doubted his ability (“Johnny Depp”).  The American musician, actor, and director, John Christopher Depp II, has shown tenacity throughout all of the challenging events in his life.

During Johnny Depp’s early life, his tenacity was more than evident. Depp’s life started like any other until the day, soon after his seventh birthday, that his family was uprooted and moved to Miramar, Florida. That was not long after he had lost his grandfather, whom he was the closest to (Goodall XV).  Once in Miramar, they were forced to stay in local motels for almost a year, so his father could find a steady job; but even when he found a job, they relocated roughly thirty times up until he turned eighteen (Goodall 21).  Never being in one place for long made it very hard for Depp to create friendships wherever he and his family went, which also made his life extremely lonely.  At age twelve, he started to smoke cigarettes and experiment with drugs (“Johnny Depp”).  But his problems didn’t end there: “I [Depp] lost my virginity somewhere around age thirteen.” Depp was quoted during a Rolling Stone interview: “ I did every kind of drug there was by fourteen, swiped a few six-packs, broke into a few classrooms […]. Eventually you see where it’s headed, and you get out” (qtd. in “Depp, Johnny”).  Depp claimed that he wasn’t a mean or violent adolescent, though he did commit acts of self-harm.  He decided at age sixteen, not long after his parents’ divorce was finalized, to quit school in order to begin a music career (“Depp, Johnny”).  His tenacious actions don’t end there; they continue into his subsequent rise to fame.

Not long thereafter, Johnny Depp and his young wife, Lori Allison, went to live in L.A. so that Depp could make progress with his band, The Kids, and so started his rise to fame where he was forced to truly prove his tenacity.  Allison, a make-up artist, found it easier to find jobs than her husband and was even able to introduce him to actor Nicolas Cage, who told him to give acting a shot.  Cage even helped the aspiring young artist get an agent (“Depp, Johnny”).  Following his success in Nightmare on Elm Street, a tragedy struck: “The Kids suddenly split up, and he [Depp] found himself without a band to play with” (“Johnny Depp: Lifetime”).  Soon after his second film, he and his wife were divorced, but he received a role in the film Platoon (“Depp, Johnny”).  During filming in the forests of the Philippines, most all of the cast and crew became sick and had to overcome it before the short filming window came to a close.  The cast was also put through a military style training to prepare for the picture (Goodall 50).  Following his somewhat bad jungle experiences, Depp was given a role in a new show called 21 Jump Street, but not long after joining the cast did he realize that the fans he had from the show only cared about his looks.  He enjoyed the fame but didn’t truly care for it if it were only about his appearance (“Depp, Johnny”).  He wasn’t quite sure what to do about it but “Depp felt trapped and feared his [rebel] image would be ruined […]” (“Johnny Depp: Lifetime”).  He was later introduced to actress, Winona Ryder in 1989 and started dating soon after.  Depp proposed to Winona only a year later. Also, Johnny Depp was finally able to get rid of his “teen idol” persona with help of the movies Cry Baby and Edward Scissorhands, during which he shared the spotlight with Ryder (“Depp, Johnny”).  From that point on, he chose to play in stranger, more tenacious roles that connected to him on an exceedingly personal level (Goodall XII).

After his rise, Johnny Depp reached his goals for fame and fortune, and his tenacity was required more than ever before.  In 1993 Depp owned a club in Hollywood where he was able to get back into music by playing with a band there.  Being a popular place, it attracted many stars, including River Phoenix, a teen idol and a friend of Depp’s.  Phoenix was partying and ended up overdosing outside of the club.  Not only did Depp lose a friend that year, he also broke off his engagement to actress Winona Ryder, whom he fell truly in love with on the set of Edward Scissorhands (Goodall XVI).  It later came out that the engagement was only broken off because her parents wouldn’t allow her to marry him.  Proceeding a terrible year, Depp followed an even more terrible path: addiction.  Depp had once again fallen into a pattern of drug and alcohol abuse. He also had a rather scandalous relationship with the model Kate Moss.  The couple fought often and Depp even grew angry enough to destroy a New York hotel suite.  Following his rocky relationship with Moss, he grew close to director Hunter Thompson and made a few movies with him up until his passing in 2005.  Later Depp married Vanessa Paradis and had two children with her.  After they had been together fourteen years, Depp confirmed the rumors of their ending and later began seeing Amber Heard.  The couple made it official in 2012, and it came out that their friendship began to strengthen nearing the end of Depp’s marriage  (“Johnny Depp”).  Depp has chosen many strange films and characters to act in, and it is believed to tie into his childhood: “The youngest of four children, Depp was withdrawn and a self-admitted oddball” (“Johnny Depp”).  Though they were strange, the majority of his films were able to have made it as big hits in the box office.  One of his most recent movie failures was The Lone Ranger, a Disney film based on tales of the Wild West.  The movie performed horribly in the box office and received some very appalling reviews (“Johnny Depp”).

Through all of the deaths, separations, and pure heartbreaks John Christopher Depp II has faced, his tenacity truly comes to light.  Depp was brave enough to choose movies that fit his personality when most actors now go for what they see making them the most money.  He dealt with his parents’ divorce, struggled with a severe drug and alcohol addiction, and had numerous failed relationships that he was so hopeful for.  Being as tenacious as Depp to keep going and not give up on what he wanted to do is bewildering, but he continued to do it anyway.  Being tenacious means to be “not easily stopped or pulled apart: firm or strong.”  In other words, Johnny Depp is “very determined to do something” (“Tenacious”), and it’s admirable to see just how determined he is.
 
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Works Cited
“Amelia Earhart Quotes.” BrainyQuote. Xplore Inc, 2015. 19 February 2015. .
“Depp, Johnny.” Biography Reference Bank, 2009: Biography Reference Bank (H. W. Wilson). Web. 5 Feb. 2015.
“Johnny Depp.” Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 04 Feb. 2015. .
“Johnny Depp: Lifetime.” Lifetime. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 09 Feb. 2015. .
Goodall, Nigel. The Secret World of Johnny Depp. London, England. Blake Publishing Ltd, 2006. Print.
“Tenacious.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster Incorporated, 2015. Web. 27 February 2015. .