Are Johnny Depp, Jim Carrey, and Thomas Gibson the victims of ageism in Hollywood? Is there some other reason why Depp, Carrey, and Gibson might be finding it hard to get hired and keep their jobs in Tinseltown?
Johnny Depp could be replaced as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. or at least that buzz has been buzzing for nearly eight years. Those rumors have been circulating since 2009 when MTV first reported Disney was prepared to replace Johnny Depp who is now 53-years-old.
Johnny Depp is officially the star of Pirates of the Caribbean 5, but as rumors have circulated for years that Disney is seeking to replace Depp as Jack Sparrow, for a variety of reasons, or excuses. Is there any credence to any these rumors? Probably not since Johnny Depp will be in Pirates of the Caribbean 5, but sly inferences that Depp is getting too old to be considered a heartthrob still get into tabloids.
Thomas Gibson, age 54, is another older heartthrob who was fired and replaced on the crime drama Criminal Minds. Fans are furiously protesting Thomas Gibson’s forced and sudden departure from the role of Aaron Hotchner or Hotch as he is affectionately known.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmEDedjIOSU
The #NoHotchNoWatch twitter protest is still going strong after well over half the season. Some #NoHotchNoWatch protesters believe ageism was a factor.
Thomas Gibson had likewise recently divorced when he was fired but there was no scandal whatsoever. He was accused of kicking a writer, though, and those discussions were uncharacteristically made public. Is there a connection? Could mere divorce lead to loss of work in Hollywood now? Divorce has always been commonplace among celebrities, so what is the real issue with Johnny Depp’s so-called divorce scandal. Why is Gibson’s kicking story receiving such an intense response when normally such problems are kept quiet?
Fans still think Johnny Depp and Thomas Gibson are hot. The ladies still adore them, so who in the Hollywood casting department decides when someone loses their sex appeal? Is there some way of metering hotness these days? Is charisma measurement an iPhone app now?
ABC and CBS thought they could just up and replace Thomas Gibson with Damon Gupton. They also brought back Paget Brewster for good measure. They’ve replaced Shemar Moore with Adam Rodriguez and Aisha Tyler. Ratings have dropped significantly in the wake of all these casting changes.
Are Johnny Depp, Jim Carrey, Thomas Gibson, and all the other older actors out there with iconic roles at risk of being variously attacked then replaced because they are getting older? Is it possible that divorce scandals also cost actors jobs now? Hollywood has always had a higher divorce rate than the general public, and it has not been a problem in the past.
When it comes to Thomas Gibson, Johnny Depp, and Jim Carrey, as well as so many other older actors, familiarity, seems more important than scandal and age to fans. Fans are loyal and find familiar faces comforting. Thomas Gibson is a part of Criminal Minds. The show feels strange to fans without Thomas Gibson as Hotch. Also, is it even possible that anyone other than Johnny Depp could be Jack Sparrow?
Actually, Jim Carrey was Disney’s first choice for the role. Johnny Depp was chosen after Jim Carry turned it down. If Jim had taken the part, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl would have been a completely different sort of movie. Jack Sparrow would have been a completely different sort of guy as well.
Jim Carrey, however, declined because he was making Bruce Almighty at the time according to Jim Carrey Online. What would have happened if Jim Carrey had been cast as Jack Sparrow?
If Johnny Depp had never been considered for Pirates of the Caribbean, would Jim Carrey have been voted Sexiest Man Alive by People in both 2003 and 2009? With all due respect to Mr. Jim Carrey, probably not, because Jim Carrey would have created an entirely different image for Jack Sparrow than the sexy icon Johnny Depp manifested.
Similarly, Thomas Gibson was not cast as the original unit chief. Criminal Minds’ first season was written around Mandy Patinkin’s character Jason Gideon, as the leader of a team of criminal profilers, but like Jim Carrey, Patinkin ended up turning down the part and leaving the show. Producers were afraid the show would not survive without Mandy, but Criminal Minds was still a new show. 12 years down the road, firing Thomas Gibson is a different story. Fans miss what feels like a 12-year friendship.
Could writers and producers be blind to the vast popularity of Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow, constantly thinking, “if only Jim Carrey had gotten that part? Is it too late to recast Jim Carrey 12 years later?” That much is probably doubtful.
Are networks unaware of the attachment Criminal Minds viewers develop for the original cast including Thomas Gibson over 12 years? Do they think losing Thomas Gibson and Shemar Moore in Season 12 is in any way similar to fans as losing Mandy Patinkin soon after the show started?
Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow is sexy. Many fans consider Thomas Gibson still very hot as well, despite the passing years. Age is hardly a factor with stars like Johnny Depp, Thomas Gibson, and Jim Carrey who stay in shape and take care of themselves. Just look at Clint Eastwood, Dolly Parton, and rock stars like Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler. All of them are still very hot and older than Depp, Gibson, and Carrey.
It is rumored that Jim Carrey is still considered an option for the Jack Sparrow role but Looper reports that Jim Carrey, now 55-years-old , can’t find acting roles lately. Looper says Jim Carrey’s humor is too polarizing, his comedy too controversial, his opinions too political, and Jim Carrey is currently involved in a wrongful death scandal.
If Johnny Depp’s divorce is causing enough of a scandal to cause career problems. Could Thomas Gibson’s divorce also be an issue? Also, no matter how unfair, a wrongful death charge could hurt one’s career. Still, Jim Carrey is a funny guy. Why lose those laughs over any of these issues that have nothing to do with how funny he is?
Jim Carrey also took a stand against forced vaccinations for all children recently, considering claims they could be potentially dangerous. Jim Carrey’s stand was controversial and Looper claims it’s sort of left Jim Carrey blackballed when coupled with his other problems. Still, Carrey isn’t as young as he used to be either. Could age be a factor in his case as well?
Do Thomas Gibson and Johnny Depp also have unusual but well-meaning views on some seemingly innocuous but somehow controversial subjects?
Johnny Depp is starring in Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales, despite rumors to the contrary. The trailers are out and the movie will be in theaters in May, yet rumors were flying that Johnny Depp could still be replaced.
Will Johnny Depp be Jack Sparrow again in Pirates of the Caribbean 6? Will Thomas Gibson be invited back to Criminal Minds someday? Will there ever be another Jim Carrey movie?
We know that Thomas Gibson has been fired from Criminal Minds , but #NoHotchNoWatch is not satisfied with the original story that Gibson was fired for allegedly kicking a writer. Thomas Gibson said it was an accident.
Both Thomas Gibson and the writer, Virgil Williams admit they sort of ran into each other. It was just a little tap to the shin anyway. It hardly seems worth risking the ratings of a show like Criminal Minds , or more specifically risking the kind of money Criminal Minds has brought to CBS and ABC over the years.
Are Thomas Gibson, Johnny Depp, and Jim Carrey too old to attract an audience? Not likely, judging from their social media fan bases. Thomas Gibson has so many passionate fans, and Johnny Depp’s people are quite loyal as well. Jim Carrey has taken a beating in the press, but he still gets laughs.
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Jim Carrey fans think he is extremely funny, and while some people do not share Carrey’s sense of humor, enough people do to have made him a pretty good box office draw in the past. So what is the problem now? Why isn’t he being hired as an actor anymore?
Thomas Gibson age 54, Johnny Depp age 53, and Jim Carrey age 55 aren’t exactly ancient but is it possible that producers are discriminating against them because they are unsure their sex appeal, acting or humor is still as good as it used to be now that they are older?
Are Thomas Gibson, Johnny Depp, and Jim Carrey experiencing age discrimination in Hollywood?
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