Be sure to catch ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT Monday June 27th for an interview with Johnny Depp about his role as Willy Wonka. The ET website has a charming video clip online HERE. Johnny told ET that he sees “no comparison” between the Tim Burton version of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book and the 1971 musical film starring Gene Wilder. “I think it’s a completely different animal. I think that film was great, growing up it was ingrained into my memory–especially Gene Wilder’s version of Wonka, [it] is a beautiful performance–but I think this is a very, very different thing. We did our best to be as faithful to Roald Dahl’s book.”

In the spirit of fidelity, ET notes, the sets for CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY were built with candy: the lollipops on the trees and the giant candy canes are real. Nearly a quarter of a million gallons of fake chocolate were required to create Willy Wonka’s chocolate river. “When I walked on to the chocolate set where the chocolate river and waterfall were,” Johnny tells ET, “it was like walking into something historic.”

And what do Johnny’s children think of his performance as Willy Wonka? “My kids haven’t seen the film yet, but they’re very excited to see it [. . .]. I remember when they first came to visit me on the set, the first time they saw me all decked out as Wonka, they stared at me for about 2 1/2 – 3 minutes. They could recognize elements of their dad but they couldn’t quite get it.”

The Zone thanks kristen for posting the ET story on the News & Views forum, and DarkAngel for sharing a screencap from the ET clip. Depp fans will want to watch all the entertainment news programs today–ET, Access Hollywood, Extra!, and Showbiz Tonight have CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY features scheduled using interview footage with Johnny from the weekend press junket in Nassau. AnaMaria has already posted screencaps on the Recent Pics forum from a Nassau interview that aired on Dutch TV; thanks so much, AnaMaria! To see how Johnny looked in Nassua, click HERE and HERE.