Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise: Whose The Better Actor?

Depp wins because he *used* to be a very good actor, one who was serious about his craft, took huge risks, gave wonderfully surprising performances, and who made some terrific films.

Of course he's a lazy piece of broke-down drunken crap now, but as Pitt and Cruise will live and die without ever having given a single genuinely good screen performance, Depp still wins this sorry contest.

R1 Depp has given some brilliant past performances but in his later years became a shell of himself. He seems to have forgotten how to play a real person, he always needs Tim Burton and a costume. In the 90s Pitt went against pretty boy type romantic comedies and did some pretty dark but good films. Seven with Morgan Freeman was good, Kalifornia, Interview With The Vampire, Fight Club were all pretty good films and performances from Brad Pitt.

"[R1] Depp has given some brilliant past performances but in his later years became a shell of himself."

Yeah, but since Cruise and Pitt have never been more than shells, Depp definitely wins this pathetic contest!

I'm utterly disgusted with Depp, on every possible level. But possibly my biggest complaint about him is that he's betrayed his talent, thrown away what could have been a brilliant lifetime body of work into a vat of wine. And I hope it's just wine, and not just wine laced with heroin, and spiced with legal documents and shit from his bed.

Vivian Vance

I don’t know. Tom has the movie star thing & no emotional realness. Brad is cute and better than most cute actors. Johnny plays odd parts well. I’d say Brad Pitt. But i would sleep with him first so there’s that. Fun question

[quote] Yeah, but since Cruise and Pitt have never been more than shells, Depp definitely wins this pathetic contest!

Okay dude it was just a question and a poll jeez. At your age it's not good to raise your blood pressure like this R3, sorry someone pissed in your corn flakes this morning.

I’m with R1.

While Depp was the better actor when he was younger, Tom has done some great performances: Born on the 4th of July, Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia, Collateral, Rain Man, Jerry Maguire, Minority Report.

Brad wasn't always that great but he started getting better. Fight Club, Burn After Reading, Inglorious Bastards, Seven, Snatch, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood... he's gotten really so good as he's gotten older.

Johnny has not. He was once fantastic (Ed Wood!) and so many others, but now... sigh.

Depp is the worst actor out of the three, and it's not even close. Even when he was at his best he wasn't that good, and for the past twenty years he's become a genuinely awful actor whose performances are actively off-putting.

Cruise has a few performances that really hold up, and even at his worst he still maintains a slick competence. But he's a movie star first, a stuntman second, and an actor third at this point. The saving grace for Cruise is that he's exceptional at the first two.

That leaves Brad Pitt, even though the idea that he'd be better than Cruise and Depp would have been laughable circa 1996. But he's become a deeper, more interesting performer as he's aged. He's got more range and takes more risks (sorry, Johnny, but slathering yourself in makeup and wearing fright wigs isn't risky, it's just pathetic). He can have a soulfulness that feels real while still maintaining the glow of a movie star.

It's hard to say because they are all 'stars' and not actors. All of them have gotten quite far on their looks (not just pretty, but captivating), their supreme ability to be at ease in front of the camera and their ability to pick the right vehicles. They're all enjoyable (to me).

Depp relies on schtick quite often (weirdo, smoldering, drunk pirate). He can bring out the chops, though, when needed (Gilbert Grape, Finding Neverland, Donnie Brasco).

Cruise also relies on schtick, too, (maniacal Cruise) or genre (M.I.). But he was fabulous in Magnolia and Collateral. He was fucking hilarious in Tropic Thunder. (Also, even though some thought it campy, I thought his version of Lestat was on point. Lestat is supposed to be OTT.)

Brad Pitt doesn't rely on schtick, but he is always BRAD PITT. It just comes through. But, his catalog is the most varied and shows his versatility. I think sometimes he does not get the acting recognition he deserves because of his fame and looks. He can be very subtle in roles when it is called for, like Moneyball.

I think I have to give the slight edge to Pitt.

What’s eating Gilbert’s grape?

I think Tom is the worst of the 3. In certain films, like Eyes Wide Shut, he's just playing his annoying self... a neurotic male Karen.

Better - used when comparing 2 things

Best- used when comparing 3 or more things

Whose?

R13 you can compare my left middle finger to my right middle finger. Fuck off Miss Beadle. R14 kiss my ass it can't be edited now.

They all act like caricatures. That thing where they are all unable to lose themselves in the role so it’s just a artistic rendition of they are.

They are Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise!

I disagree about Tom Cruise not ever giving a convincing performance. The Firm, and the Made in America ( or American Made), where he played Barry Seal, were great performances. Not to mention his performance as Les Grossberg in Tropic Thunder, ( even though I don't like the movie). He was a fantastic Lestat, as well. Sorry, but he is a great actor. The definition of a movie star. Not withstanding the controversial issues of his personal life.

Of those three, I'd say Tom Cruise.

Brad Pitt---casino thief, spy, soldier---always plays Brad Pitt, wry, flirtatious, good ole boy.

Johnny Depp seems always a smart-guy, on the edge, criminal or cop.

Tom Cruise, however, plays the character. His older brother in "Rain Man" isn't his character in "Boemrn on the Fourth of July," and his lawyer roles in "The Firm" and "

("Born on...")

...."A Few Good Men" seem different to me.

Just IMO.

Depp is the best actor among the three.

Cruise is the best movie star.

Pitt is the best celebrity.

Didn't Christian Bale say he based his portrayal of Patrick Bateman on Tom Cruise?

[quote] Depp wins because he *used* to be a very good actor, one who was serious about his craft

I'm serious about my Kraft -- velveeta, Cheez Whiz, Cool Whip-- their entire portfolio.