Terry Gilliam talks about Johnny Depp and DON QUIXOTE again–this time to MTV

Director Terry Gilliam, on the circuit promoting his new film TIDELAND, sat down for a very entertaining interview with MTV’s Larry Carroll. In an article called “Terry Gilliam On Depp, ‘POTTER’ And The Film He Panhandled To Promote,” Terry talks at length about the current movie industry and the difficulty of getting studio and financial support for projects that are, shall we say, a bit outside the mainstream. He also addresses comparisons between himself and Orson Welles (who also longed to make a film about Don Quixote and could not get the necessary backing) and comments on Hollywood’s tendency to ignore their maverick artists throughout their careers and then belatedly present them with “Lifetime Achievement Awards” after 40 years of neglect. Terry Gilliam is, as always, funny and candid. Here is the exchange about the possibility of reviving THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE:

MTV: The documentary LOST IN LA MANCHA (2002) showed you battling executives, sickly actors, and having general bad luck while ultimately failing to get your passion project made. Will you ever be able to finish THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE?

Gilliam: We’re getting very close to getting the rights to QUIXOTE back.

MTV: And Johnny Depp will still star in it?

Gilliam: Well, I’m not sure if I want to work with him–he’s just too big a star now. I’d rather work with a young unknown. [He laughs.] No, that will be the first phone call I make when I get the script back in my hands … then, when he’s free, we go because he’s on board.

You can read the full interview with Terry Gilliam on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

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