Australia's TODAY show interviews Johnny Depp about Heath Ledger

At the Public Enemies press junket held at Chicago’s Union Station, Australian reporter Peter Stefanovic used some of his five minutes with Johnny Depp to inquire about JD’s connection with the late Heath Ledger, a native Australian. Stefanovic’s interview aired on the Down Under version of the Today show on July 22nd. The reporter asked why Johnny Depp agreed to step into Heath Ledger’s role in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which was left unfinished at the time of Ledger’s death; JD, along with Jude Law and Colin Farrell, completed Ledger’s role.

JOHNNY DEPP: It would have been a horror to think that Heath’s last work, which was great, would go unseen. And so, what I told Terry Gilliam was, “If there’s a way to do this respectfully, and you can finish your film, I’m more than happy to help.”

I wanted to, certainly, first get the blessing of Heath’s family, to make sure they were okay with it–and they were great with it, and so I feel honored to have been able to be a small part of that. For Heath.

PETER STEFANOVIC: And you named a part of the island you own after him? [Douglas Brinkley’s recent Vanity Fair article mentions that Johnny named a favorite cove on his island “Heath’s Place.”] Can you tell me about the connection you feel towards him? Because it’s obviously very strong.

JOHNNY DEPP: We knew each other, and we’d hung out a bit, and there was a mutual respect there. And he was “the guy,” as far as I was concerned, in terms of the actors coming up the ranks; he was the one to keep your eye on. He was the dangerous one, you know, and I liked him for that.

PETER STEFANOVIC: And finally . . . Pirates 4. Yea or nay?

JOHNNY DEPP: Yea. Yea . . . if they get a good script, yea.

The Zone thanks FANtasticJD and Theresa for the Stefanovic interview, and AnaMaria for the screencap from the video clip. To watch the interview, which is highly recommended, CLICK HERE. –Part-Time Poet

Comments are closed.