The movie experience Johnny Depp found “extremely mortifying”
Alongside his most iconic role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny Depp is best known for his kooky character acting in gothic Tim Burton productions. The pair first collaborated on Edward Scissorhands, a crucial early title for both. Since then, they have frequently collaborated through various unconventional yet highly profitable adaptations.
Burton and Depp found commercial success in their child-friendly adaptations of Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but the darker, more adult-orientated titles, such as Sleepy Hollow and Ed Wood, perhaps deserve more praise.
Another oft-overlooked Depp and Burton collaboration was 2007’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. This perfectly gruesome adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s original play saw Depp in a rare singing role opposite Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall.
Famously, Depp handles guitar and vocals with Hollywood Vampires and performed with the recently passed guitar hero, Jeff Beck. However, when it comes to singing in the style demanded by musical theatre, he becomes somewhat “mortified.”
Speaking to IGN in a 2008 press conference, Depp discussed his role in the musical, revealing that he had actually taken on a singing role in the past. “I actually did do a musical many years ago with John Waters called Cry-Baby, but technically, it was only half me – it wasn’t me singing,” he said.
Continuing, Depp revealed a lack of confidence in his vocal talent. “Tim’s the only person brave enough to actually let me try to sing,” he explained. “It was the first time I’d ever sung – I’d never even sung in the shower, I’m too mortified. But once I got over the initial fear, it was kind of enjoyable. Sondheim’s melodies and lyrics are a real pleasure to tromp around in, it’s really beautiful stuff. Would I ever do it again? No, I doubt it.”
Depp then revealed that he originally thought the set would be silent, given that the vocals are pre-recorded and lip-synced. “It’s funny because early on, when Tim and I talked about Sweeney and the idea of doing it, 50 per cent of the job would be done before we ever stepped on the set with the recording of the songs,” Depp remembered. “Then we’d go in and lip sync to it. Or that’s what we thought.
“But these guys know as well as I do that you go into the recording studio and sing your guts out recording the stuff, and do it as best you can, and then you go onto the set. We thought we were going to lip-synch, but in fact, the only way to do it is to belt it out once again on the set, which is extremely mortifying. Everyone’s very, very close, and you just feel like an idiot at first.”
“But then it was oddly liberating, having music on the set all the way through. It made it interesting. It felt like we were doing a silent film,” Depp added.
Watch the trailer for Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street below.
