Filming continues in Old San Juan on Bruce Robinson’s The Rum Diary, and in what has become a daily ritual, crowds gather on the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of Johnny Depp and other stars as they enter and leave the building which houses the set of the fictitious newspaper, The San Juan Star. Melba Bruguera of El Vocero exchanged a few words with Johnny on Wednesday: she describes a tumultuous scene with hundreds of people constantly shouting and attempting to take the actor’s picture with their cell phones. “The Puerto Rican hot sun has not been an impediment to being close to the public,” Bruguera writes. She adds that Johnny has been “friendly and accessible,” walking out after shooting ends in the evening to greet fans individually. Often he is still in costume as Paul Kemp, wearing 1950s attire: to see a larger photo of Johnny in costume, CLICK HERE.

“I love Puerto Rico,” Johnny told the reporter, saying that it is easy to be kind to Puerto Rico because the people of Puerto Rico have been so nice to him. Bruguera tells a heartwarming story of one little girl named Gladys who waited in the crowd dressed up as Captain Jack Sparrow; she did get her chance to meet Johnny, and he autographed her Captain Jack Sparrow action figure.

The Zone thanks Emma for the El Vocero story; you can read much more about the filming of The Rum Diary on the Zone’s News & Views forum. –Part-Time Poet