THE RUM DIARY, starring Johnny Depp, shoots its carnival parade in Vega Baja

Director Bruce Robinson began filming the most ambitious sequences of The Rum Diary in Vega Baja yesterday–a carnival parade involving several hundred extras in elaborate, colorful costumes. The photo at left shows Johnny Depp, in character as journalist Paul Kemp, walking by one of the parade floats. To see a larger version, CLICK HERE,, and for a behind-the-scenes photo of Johnny amid the carnival preparations, CLICK HERE.

El Nuevo Dia writes that 800 extras reported at 3:00 a.m. to get into costume and makeup for the carnival scene. The morning hours were devoted to filming the crowd; Johnny Depp watched from the mayor’s balcony and gave encouragement to the extras, although he declined their request to join them in dancing the Pelu, a traditional dance of the island.

The Zone thanks Emma and Marijose for several articles about the filming of The Rum Diary’s carnival scenes. You can read them and see many more pictures of the carnival on the Zone’s News & Views forum. –Part-Time Poet