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
 
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