My thoughts on the subject are: Perhaps Depp simply likes the movies and the roles he chooses? Maybe he simply enjoys the off beat character. And why not, after all, many of us still find ourselves enjoying his roles as much as he enjoys playing them. Or perhaps its ore ego based. Maybe he feels he's taking on more challenging material in indie work and showcasing his abilities more. Again, if so, there's no problem about an actor wanting to stretch him/herself. Or possibly he's trying to give indie work more attention by the fact that he's starring in them. Maybe films that wouldn't make a dent in theatrical release are given a boost by the presence of a celebrity, and since he evidently feels the films to be of some woth, he is more than happy to be that celebrity. And it might very well be that he's not nearly as stuck on independent films as one would think. For instance, I managed to catch 'Edward Scissorhands', 'Ed Wood','Benny and Joon' and 'Nick of Time' all in the local mainstream multiplex. If these films are considered independent they are at the blurry line between independent and studio based productions (the truth is they all had major studio backing.) Personally, I feel that Depp is a very talented individual that creates the impression of even greater talent by being very selective of his roles, and only choosing to be in, if not all good, certainly all original films. I have enjoyed at least some aspect of all of his films, and most of them are extremely good. I guess I have the same response to this as I do to criticisms against Spielberg, even though one is criticized for being too glosssy, one for not having enough gloss: If you've got talent like that, you should feel free to do whatever you want with it. Anyways, those are my thoughts --Mark ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]