Johnny Depp- An outlier in modern society. During his childhood,
Johnny Depp’s family ended up moving over 20 times and eventually settled in Miramar, Florida. His mother divorced when he was 15, and then remarried. His second father was Robert Palmer, who was a big role model for Johnny. When Johnny Depp was 12, he was given a guitar. He started to join various garage bands and played very frequently. A year after his mother’s divorce, he dropped out of high school to play in a band. The opportunity that introduced him to fame came through that band. Depp tried to go back to his high school two weeks later, but his principal told him to follow his dreams. Johnny Depp moved around bands until he went to the Rock City Angels. He married the bass player’s sister, Lori Anne Allison, in December 1983. His wife introduced him to Nicholas Cage, who advised him to pursue an acting career. His acting career was very successful with a total of 44 movies so far. Johnny Depp’s first major film was A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984. He is known for the Pirates of the Caribbean series. In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell talks about success coming from 10,000 hours of work. Johnny Depp has been acting from 1984 to 2013, which has definitely covered 10,000 hours. Over his acting career, Johnny Depp is now worth 350 million dollars. As you can see, his principal gave him his opportunity and provided the gateway towards the next part of his life. If that principal had let him come back to school, then he wouldn't have become famous or pursued an acting career. He was very lucky to get this opportunity, and he maximized it, which is why he is an outlier.
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