In a recent interview in Total Film, Johnny Depp disclosed a few of his thoughts regarding his role as the Mad Hatter and the enduring power of Lewis Carroll’s original Alice stories. “The story is still new. It’s still fresh,” Johnny explained. “It’s such a beast in terms of invention. It’s a monumental achievement, the imagination of the guy.”

Johnny employs a Scottish accent for the Mad Hatter, but not the same one he used to play James Barrie in Finding Neverland, which he describes as “eastern Scottish, like Aberdeen.” His Mad Hatter hails from Glasgow: “I’ve always been interested in the Glaswegian because there’s a real danger to it. So I thought [. . . I would] incorporate that into the character.”

Asked to confirm the rumor that the size of the Mad Hatter’s eyes would be increased digitally in post-production, Johnny replied, “That’s what they’re talking about doing. I’ve seen the test and it looks cool, but I’m not sure if you need it at this point. But obviously, whatever Tim [Burton] chooses to go with, he certainly knows best.”

The Zone thanks In-too-Depp for sharing the Total Film interview; you can read scans of the article on the Zone’s News & Views forum.