Johnny Depp Goes Old School, Channeling His ’21 Jump Street’ Era Look for New Movie

New photos of Johnny Depp hit the Web today
-- and, no, they weren't more PDA pix of him
with Amber Heard . Instead, we were treated to
shots of the 49-year-old on the set of
"Transcendence" in which he was rocking a
clean-cut look reminiscent of his "21 Jump
Street" days back in the '80s. Swoon!
With short, floppy hair, cool shades, a simple
outfit -- devoid of his typical layers upon
layers of accessories -- Depp reminded us of
Tom Hanson, the best-looking narc in all of TV
history. (Our apologies to Richard Grieco!) So
what if his white T-shirt was a little stained for
his role as a computer scientist? At least we
can see it … unlike most of Depp's real-life
outfits these days, which are largely hidden
under gold chains, skull necklaces, scarves,
beads, and other dangly jangly objects.
[Related: 21 Jump Street: Where Is the Original
Cast Now? ]
As much as we enjoyed Depp in "Pirates of the
Caribbean" (bring on number five!), it almost
seemed that the actor enveloped the role of
Captain Jack Sparrow -- which he modeled
after Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
and cartoon character Pepé Le Pew -- and
never quite came out of it, at least when we
are talking about sense of style. While he did
give up Sparrow's gold teeth and guyliner,
Depp has remained quite attached to the
scarves and rings for the last decade.
And while we love Depp's uniqueness,
including the bracelets that he wears that his
kids have made him, his Indiana Jones type
hats, and even those purple shades, it's just
nice to see his unobstructed face every once in
a while.
[Related: Johnny Depp’s Son Prefers Another
Hero Over Jack Sparrow ]
Someone who gets an up close and personal
look at said face is Depp's new lady love,
actress-model Amber Heard. Close since they
filmed 2011's "Rum Diary," they were linked
even before the star confirmed his split with
long-time girlfriend Vanessa Paradis last
summer. Over the weekend Depp and Heard,
27, were snapped showing their first signs of
coupledom -- a little hand holding at a concert
in Los Angeles. Perhaps if he wasn't rocking
his signature style (hat, scarf, necklaces), they
even could have gone unnoticed.
Eh -- probably not.
What do you think of Johnny Depp's old
school look? Are you having Tom Hanson
flashbacks too? Missing his many accessories?
Let us know in the comments section below.