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JOHNNY DEPP:
“I was familiar to some degree with the earlier versions of this. I ‘d seen the video of Angela Lansbury, and I’d seen the more recent production of it and I just thought it might be a great opportunity to try to find a new Sweeney, a little contemporary in the sense of like the punk rock Sweeney.”
TIM BURTON on making is girlfriend Helena Bonhan Carter audition for the role of Mrs Lovett:
“I’d never done anything like this before and it’s quite a difficult musical to do. And the roles are hard, and I just didn’t want it to seem like I was just giving the job to my girlfriend. So I was probably harder on her for that reason, I just wanted to make sure that she was really right for the part, and she was.”
STEPHEN SONDHEI:
“As you probably know, the show was a big flop in London; London critics hated it, which was ironic, because it was my love letter to England. I felt like a rejected lover – I’m serious. The first person to ask me to do it [as a movie] was in fact Tim about 20 years ago.”
DEPP on singing in the movie:
“I think I was probably more frightened than anyone, except maybe for Tim. No, he was amazing, he really trusted me with it. I was very lucky that he allowed me to do it, because I didn’t have a process really in terms of singing. I’ve never sung before in my life, and I had to find my own way to it. I thought it was important that I keep it very low key, and so I initially did these demos in my friend’s garage studio, because I didn’t know if I would be able to hit a note or not. I just wanted to make sure I could do it for Tim.”
SONDHEIM:
“I’ve always preferred actors who sing to singers who act in all the shows I’ve done. I’m interested in storytelling, and what I like about songwriting is songs used to tell a story. That’s why I don’t write songs apart from theatrical pieces. I found the film stunning. The film was a fresh experience for me and I was knocked out by it.”
BURTON:
“I think this character for me is one of my favorite characters Johnny’s done, just because I love the interior brooding quality of it. And then you put that with him singing, and it just created to me a really amazing new thing. He just tries anything. The fact is that he’s not a singer, and he tried one of the hardest musicals ever to do. Something I learned is singing is a very exposing process, especially if you’re not a singer. It’s just an artistic pleasure to see somebody try different things and actually achieve them beyond your expectations.”
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THE CONCEPT:
