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Quarterfinals (Poll Closed)

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23 Comments

  • lotrfan95 - 15 years ago

    i didn't vote because i love both actors but if i did vote i would of gone for elijah wood. When fotr was filmed he was 18 and the youngest actor there but he had one of the biggest parts to play. the lord of the rings is a very complex book and the characters are quite hard to act but elijah portrayed frodo and all his emotions very well for an 18 year old

  • jan - 15 years ago

    ooops, I made a typo:

    . The numbers in this case have prevailed, but that DOES NOT Make It So that Elijah Wood's performance as Frodo was better than Johnny Depp's as Cap'n Jack.

  • jan - 15 years ago

    Well, now that all the dust has settled, let me say a few things. Firstly, as you can tell by my name, Fergie, I'm the person who posted to TORN. I don't believe that I was being unfair when I let fans of Elijah and LOTR know that there was a poll that they might be interested in. However, I got a good laugh out of the comparison of "Ringers who have too much time on their hands were voting like crazy" versus (Depp's fans), who "hang out" at the People's Choice Awards. Sounds like a mere matter of semantics to me.

    Let's be realistic: these polls are not polls aimed at people who make their living as critics. Obviously, therefore, they should not be taken as meaning that such-and-such an actor is The Best Actor in the Entire Universe. The fact that this site permits multiple voting for the nominees tells us that this competition is based solely on opinion and passion. The numbers in this case have prevailed, but that does Make It So that Elijah Wood's performance as Frodo was better than Johnny Depp's as Cap'n Jack.

    Such things are really in the eye (and heart) of the beholder.

    For the record, I love JD and I love the Pirate movies. But in terms of what I personally thought of the work that Elijah Wood did in FOTR vs. the work that Johnny Depp did in POTC....well, in my opinion, Elijah's performance was the one I should vote for. For all I know, I may vote for someone else in another round.

    There is no disrespect meant by me to Johnny. I thought he had the makings of a first-rate actor when he was in 21 Jump Street. Gilbert Grape (and other films) convinced me further. But Captain Jack, as wonderful as he is, is lost (for me) upon the finely-drawn and nuanced canvas of E.W.'s Frodo.

  • reiner - 15 years ago

    PMC is indeed correct. Elijah didn't pick FOTR because it was going to be a blockbuster, no one connected with the film "expected" it be such a booming success beforehand. No EW picked it because it was inline with his career path. He wanted to play a deep, complicated character, with a rich history, and was passionate about doing so at the age of 17. Mess that role up, and your career is toast, yet he handled it with such charisma, I can only say that Frodo IS Elijah Wood. He is exactly what my mind pictured reading the books. And that is uncanny, if not an impossible thing to pull off.

    On the other hand, JD is a great actor as well, and his role in POTC is quirky and memorable, but hardly a comparison to the role and scope of EW as Frodo.

  • suzy - 15 years ago

    pmc is talking sense. FOTR has won far more awards than POTC and is likely to last much longer, and Elijah, as PJ said was the central character. To say Elijah's career went nowhere after LOTR is nonsense. He's been in a range of films inlcuding Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Sin City, Everything is Illuminated, Happy Feet and now 9. Also lets not forget he's almost 20 yrs younger than JD! They went head to head for a Bafta for best actor for LOTR v POTC and Elijah won. Frodo came with massive expectations and Elijah really delivered - a massive challenge at 18.

  • pmc - 15 years ago

    Fergie, you say 'Wood's career didn't go anywhere after' LOTR. I would say it's gone exactly where he wanted it to go - even when still working on the trilogy he set out his aims for the future: make small, independent films, work with directors who may not be well-known but who interested him, start a small record label, work on all aspects of film including producing and directing. He has done all of those things - that is what I call true success. He said the last thing he wanted was another blockbuster - because nothing would ever top LOTR. Yes, Depp is a generally better-known actor because he's been in bigger films - but Elijah doesn't want or need that sort of recognition. And there is such a thing as overkill.

    But this poll is about two performances in two films. I have nothing against JD but I found him quite irritating in POTC, to me that camp, OTT style is more befitting Captain Hook in a Peter Pan pantomime. But even if that hadn't been the case - it would have made no difference. IMO nothing can come close to Elijah's brilliant performance in LOTR. Best performance, best film.

  • fergie - 15 years ago

    PMC, is Mark Hamill a big name? No, and he led even bigger trilogy, the one that stood the test of time for over 30 years since it`s debut in 1977. Fact is that Wood isn`t in demand and I don`t think it`s because he`s turning down offers but rather because there aren`t many offers or good offers. Fans can say whatever they want, and there will be fans of Uwe Boll who`ll argue that he`s a great director, but Wood`s career didn`t go anywhere since LOTR. Now lets compare that to Depp since POTC. He scored his first Best Actor nomination for that movie. And than he was nominated for Finding Neverland and Sweeney Todd. In between 2003 (when POTC was launched and LOTR ended) and 2009, Depp headlined almost 10 movies that do not include POTC sequels. Difference is, Depp is Depp, while Wood is,like Mark Hamill, only known for the trilogy. So, yeah, no matter what poll shows, industry people who give actors jobs obviously weren`t impressed.

    As for poll results, they did shoot since TORN linked the site. Depp was leading before it happened and then suddenly Wood got the upper hand. But, again, what matters is movies one appears in and there`s a lot of Depp and not much Wood (except Evan Rachel...now that`s a talent).

  • pmc - 15 years ago

    Fergie - so you think Elijah 'aint no big name at all'.!!! Please tell me you're joking. He was the lead in the greatest trilogy ever made. How much bigger can you get?

    And, as far as charisma is concerned - it's different things to different people. To me, Elijah is quite simply the most charismatic person I've ever met and his portrayal of Frodo enchants me even after all these years. I know of many others who feel the same.

    Btw I believe I'm right in saying Elijah was winning this poll long before the link was posted on theonering.net. Just because the poll isn't going the way you want is no reason to start slinging insults around at Elijah or his fans.

  • fergie - 15 years ago

    Wood is winning this only because someone posted the link to this poll to theonering.net so Ringers who obviously have too much time on their hands were voting like crazy. It`s like MTV MA where you know Twilight will win everything because that`s where fandom with too much time on their hands is concentrated. depp will always win People`s Choice while Wood won`t be even nominated, again because Depp`s voters hang out over there.

    Wood can`t carry a movie to save his life. He was lucky that LOTR was ensemble trilogy so he wasn`t a sole lead but his lack of charisma was very evident.

    Wanda, animated movies are jobs but that looks to be the only stuff he is doing these days. And yes, word here is job, not career. maybe he wants to become voice actor but I haven`t seen evidence that he has much talent for it, since he always sounds like himself. And movie can make tons of money but that doesn`t necessarily mean the actor made a fortune off it. There is no way that Wood was paid more than Jackman and Kidman for the Happy Feet stint. I don`t know what his range of paycheck is but it cannot be in 2 digits plus backend per movie. No way. he ain`t that big. In fact, he ain`t big name at all. So lower one digit and no backend.

  • Trish - 15 years ago

    Elijah Wood couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag

  • pmc - 15 years ago

    Elijah will get my vote. His portrayal of Frodo was absolute perfection - it's a disgrace that he didn't get an Oscar for his amazing performance.

  • Sandie - 15 years ago

    Jack Sparrow is an enjoyable character and an original creation and by far a more enjoyable (fun) character to watch......Elijah Wood portrayed a character that already had a massive fan base and he meet those expectations at such a young age...in fact exceeded expectations.

    Given those factors; his age and the expectations...Frodo/ Elijah gets my vote!

  • jmw - 15 years ago

    I thought both Depp and Wood were excellent in the roles mentioned but remember Wood portrayed a creature, in a fantasy world and did it convincingly. I believe it was an academy-award caliber performance and that’s why I voted for him.

  • Wanda - 15 years ago

    Fergie: You don't think that animated work is a job? Well, rush right over and tell Johnny Depp not to take roles in anymore Tim Burton films. While you're at it just mention it to Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Robin Williams (all in Happy Feet), Will Smith (Shark Tale), Geoffrey Rush (Finding Nemo), Ian Holm, Brad Garrett, Janine Garofalo and Peter O'Toole (all Ratatouille).

    Elijah has had a much more successful career financially than many of the other actors you are mentioning. I doubt he even has to work any more. Happy Feet was a mega success, and another Oscar winner. I suspect 9 will also be nominated for something, making him star of movies with more cumulative Oscar nominations than anyone in recent history.

  • FanOfBothMovies - 15 years ago

    Elijah carried a trilogy that came with "expectations" and lived up to it well. It's easier to create a character from scratch, IMHO--no one will say-he's not what I thought Captain Jack Sparrow should have been. Elijah gets my vote, for that reason.

  • fergie - 15 years ago

    Why is Elijah Wood nominated? he wasn`t even the best actor in FOTR (that would be Ian McKellen, and Sean Bean, Ian Holm and Viggo Mortensen were all better than Wood) , let alone in 2001 or this decade. Talk about fanboyism at work. Johnny all the way! besides, POTC rejuvenated Johnny depp`s career because Jack Sparrow was iconic creation. Elijah Wood, OTOH, barely has career after LOTR. What were his last roles, voicing wistful heroes in animated movies? And none of them Pixar? Just tells you how much people who give actors jobs "appreciate" his LOTR work.

  • N - 15 years ago

    Ahhh this is the hardest choice ever in an entertainment poll.. as what everyone who knows me would call me the "biggest POTC & LOTR fan ever" .... I can't choice between the lead roles of my favourite movies ever..!! I dunno what to vote ... :O

  • Forest - 15 years ago

    I always think this kind of poll is strange and probably not fair for both actors involved. I love Lord of the Rings, and Elijah was good, but in terms of character creation and performance, I have to go for Johnny, though I don't like the sequels as much as the first Pirate movie.

  • Owen - 15 years ago

    I tbought both Elijah's and Johnny's portrayals were great. This was a tough decision, but in the end I went with Elijah. He pulled off with conviction a beloved literary character when no one thought he could.

  • John - 15 years ago

    No one hates you it;s your opinion but this pole is about the the actor and character created not about sequals. Neither Johnny Depp or Elijah Wood are guarenteed to top the poll either. If you visit the site this is only the quarter finals of the poll. My vote goes to depp

  • shelle - 15 years ago

    Actually I guess I think I like them about equal. I love Johnny Depp. Yet, by the third Pirate Movie his character just got really boring and really old for me. (I'm Sorry, Please don't hate me.) The character had lost that certain something. Elijah Wood has never gotten old to me because the story and character (books) just kept changing and going forward. (Please, don't hate me I still do love Johnny though.)

  • Jake - 15 years ago

    I agree Elijah wood was good but Johnny Depp was great

  • Laura - 15 years ago

    As much as i Love Elijah Wood and Lord of The Rings Johnny created a character based on a Disney ride not a book so by far he has to be the best.

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