# Who is the anti-Depp? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 18, 2007, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413 "2007-06-18T02:55:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/21 "2007-06-18T12:14:13Z")
[QUOTE=Smokinjbc] Bill Paxton.. definitely. I do like him in Big Love though, but more because he really can play a bland Morman man (albeit with “issues”) a little too wel [/QUOTE] Bill Paxton is great with “Everyman” roles, though, even his weird ones in The Dark Backwards and Frailty. William H. Macy is a better actor but of the same “Everyman” type. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/22 "2007-06-18T14:22:13Z")
[QUOTE=WVmom] My pick would be [John Lithgow](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001475/). I’m sure a lot of people would disagree about the acting ability, but I’ve never really been impressed. [/QUOTE] I liked how he played a human and not a characticture in Footloose. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/23 "2007-06-18T14:34:17Z")
Jeff Daniels. That he would further consider himself qualified to teach acting just adds to his _ugh_ factor. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/24 "2007-06-18T14:42:12Z")
This thread has now devolved, as all such threads inevitably do, into yet another “actors you hate” thread. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Tudrussell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Buck\_Tudrussell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Tudrussell)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/25 "2007-06-18T14:45:01Z")
Ben Affleck. I just don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/26 "2007-06-18T15:31:53Z")
[QUOTE=Fiver] This thread has now devolved, as all such threads inevitably do, into yet another “actors you hate” thread. [/QUOTE] Not in my case, at least. I took the OP to mean Depp = “talented, good looking, charming actor who has, either by bad luck or conscious career choices, skirted mainstream megastardom.” I put Will Ferrell up as the opposite of that: “weird looking guy, stiff in serious roles, puerile in comedies, who nonetheless is a marquee star.” If I just wanted to name actors I hated, Ferrell wouldn’t even be in the Top 10. Hell, he wouldn’t even be the top Ferrell. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/27 "2007-06-18T18:31:43Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] I’ve always felt vaguely this way about Kevin Kostner. It seems to me he doesn’t ‘act’ at all. He just plays himself reading the script (albeit in a relaxed manner) [/QUOTE] Thank you! I was beginning to wonder if any one else on the planet noticed that this guy cannot act. In almost everything I’ve seen him in, I get the impression that he is reading. I don’t guess he’s what you’d call “weird looking”, but ye gods, what poor acting! ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/28 "2007-06-18T18:41:05Z")
[QUOTE=Smitty] Thank you! I was beginning to wonder if any one else on the planet noticed that this guy cannot act. In almost everything I’ve seen him in, I get the impression that he is reading. I don’t guess he’s what you’d call “weird looking”, but ye gods, what poor acting! [/QUOTE] Well, when he’s playing kind of a low-key, regular Joe type guy (e.g. _Field of Dreams, Dances With Wolves_), I think he’s great. As an action hero (e.g. _Prince of Thieves, Waterworld_), he’s a total waste. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/29 "2007-06-18T19:03:22Z")
I’d argue that most of the people mentioned here are talented (even in a limited sense) or are in too different a category acting-wise (only comedy, character actor, etc.) to truly be an anti-Depp. My choice is **Matthew Modine** , who has never been more than adequate in anything he’s ever been in, with nominal acting chops, zero charisma, bland “good” looks, and a career that has remained relatively active for decades (plus he & Depp are only a few years apart in age). ---
**Author:** ![Redfrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@Redfrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redfrost)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/30 "2007-06-18T19:41:00Z")
Keanu Reeves has been Ted “Theodore” Logan in every film he has ever been in and yet he gets top billing. Even in Dangerous Liasons, Parenthood, and I Love You to Death he was Ted. In the Matrix (a movie I like) he was Ted all growed up. His performance was stiff, but so was the character, so it was a good match. It was the only movie I liked that he starred in. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/31 "2007-06-18T20:41:30Z")
Nicole Kidman. Zero chops, invests nothing in character and losing her looks. and Bill Paxton! ---
**Author:** ![WoodenTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@WoodenTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WoodenTaco)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/32 "2007-06-18T21:04:35Z")
I’ll nominate [Jon Lovitz](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001484/). You probably know him as “that guy.” ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/33 "2007-06-18T21:11:20Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] I’d argue that most of the people mentioned here are talented (even in a limited sense) or are in too different a category acting-wise (only comedy, character actor, etc.) to truly be an anti-Depp. My choice is **Matthew Modine** , who has never been more than adequate in anything he’s ever been in, with nominal acting chops, zero charisma, bland “good” looks, and a career that has remained relatively active for decades (plus he & Depp are only a few years apart in age). [/QUOTE] Modine is actually really really good in the obscure, low-budget caper/drama [If…Dog…Rabbit.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138511/) I bought the VHS for 2 dollars because the title seemed interesting, then it sat on the shelf for more than 2 years. When I finally watched it I was really surprised by how good the movie was. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/34 "2007-06-18T21:16:11Z")
I think the thing we all have to keep in mind about actors like Modine, Bill Paxton, Kevin Costner, and the like - “bland” handsome leads lacking in charisma and excitement - is that there really _are_ people like this in life, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing that there are actors out there who can portray them. Whether or not you want to watch a whole movie with one of these kind of guys as the lead, well, that’s up to you. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/35 "2007-06-18T21:38:18Z")
Vince Vaughn. Every movie he’s been in would have been improved by having another “commedian” in the role. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/36 "2007-06-18T21:41:10Z")
Get ya answer [heah…](http://www.nndb.com/people/704/000022638/) ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/37 "2007-06-18T22:14:34Z")
I saw the thread title and immediately thought “Bill Paxton.” I make no claim to have seen everything he’s been in. Just a couple of movies that he sucked all the life from. Not a bad-looking guy, just charmless and wooden. ---
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/38 "2007-06-18T22:52:09Z")
Argent Towers posted re Scott Glenn; I remember him as being alright in The Right Stuff, but I haven’t seen him in anything else. Man, for me he is charismatic and is a very good actor. Plus - he was Crawford in Silence of the Lambs, and had significant roles in these well known movies; The Shipping News (2001) Training Day (2001) Vertical Limit (2000) The Virgin Suicides (1999) Absolute Power (1997) Carla’s Song (1996) Courage Under Fire (1996) Backdraft (1991) The Hunt for Red October (1990) Miss Firecracker (1989) I dont wish to rag a fellow Squeeze fan, but he’s fairly prolific in successful movies! MiM ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/39 "2007-06-18T23:05:30Z")
[QUOTE=elfkin477] Vince Vaughn. Every movie he’s been in would have been improved by having another “commedian” in the role. [/QUOTE] Surely you can’t mean _Swingers_ too! I think of Vaughn as the new Bill Murray type – not nearly as funny as Murray in his comic prime, but definitely the new “likeable, dry, sardonic everyman and natural leader of any group of wacky misfits.” ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413/40 "2007-06-18T23:17:47Z")
[QUOTE=Big Bad Voodoo Lou] Surely you can’t mean _Swingers_ too! I think of Vaughn as the new Bill Murray type – not nearly as funny as Murray in his comic prime, but definitely the new “likeable, dry, sardonic everyman and natural leader of any group of wacky misfits.” [/QUOTE] Never saw it. For some reason I kept confusing it with The Last Days of Disco and therefore thought I’d seen it when the video store still had it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-anti-depp/408413.md?page=3)