The photo at left shows Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton attending a screening of SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET last night (December 5th), as a very proud DreamWorks studio unveiled the film to 700 invited guests in Los Angeles. The screening was hosted by Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Stacey Snider in honor of Johnny, Tim–newly crowned Best Director of 2007 by the National Board of Review–and composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim. The LA Times’s Tom O’Neil reports that Johnny, as is his custom, did not watch the film, but he “chatted casually with scores of attendees” before and after the screening.

Regarding the demon barber he plays, Johnny told Tom O’Neil, “I love the character. He’s super complex because there’s a whole lot going on there. Fifty-one percent of the people say he’s a madman and 49 percent say he’s the original victim in the plot.” And what is Johnny’s verdict about Sweeney? “I belive he’s a victim,” Johnny said. “I believe he’s a tragic figure.” You can hear Tom O’Neil’s podcast chats with Johnny Depp and Stephen Sondheim on O’Neil’s Gold Derby page here: http://tinyurl.com/25bdbb

The Zone thanks emma, dharma_bum, mikaDepp and AnaMaria for news and pictures of the Los Angeles screening. –Part-Time Poet