In a wide-ranging and relaxed interview with Ruben V. Nepales, Johnny Depp spoke briefly about his seven-year-old daughter Lily-Rose’s recovery from a serious illness in March. “[T]here was a bumpy patch in terms of my daughter’s illness which, to let you know, she got through beautifully, unscathed. She’s healthy now,” Johnny said. “She’s wonderful. It gave us a great scare–a perspective, a reminder of how lucky we are to be able to breathe, live, walk, talk, think and surround ourselves with people we love.” And what gave him strength during this crisis? “What got us through our trying times was not my strength or Vanessa’s,” Johnny responded. “It was more the strength of our daughter, her incredible ability to make us feel okay even though she was in a difficult place. She was very unwell but she was so strong and amazing.”

Johnny also spoke about undertaking the leading role in a musical–Tim Burton’s SWEENEY TODD–and singing the Stephen Sondheim score onscreen. “An actor going into a recording studio and singing for the first time in his life at age 4–that’s very strange,” a laughing Johnny told Nepales. “I wouldn’t recommend it. I feel okay about what I have been able to do but it’s a very strange process. When Tim asked if I wanted to play the role, I said, ‘Sure.’ He said, ‘Can you sing?’ I said, ‘I don’t know–I’ll get back to you [. . .]. I ended up going into a recording studio with a friend of mine and I just sang to the tracks to find out if I could do it at all. It’s not unlike the mating call of a rutting stag,” said Johnny. “It’s a very strange sound but so far, I have not been fired, which is good. We’ll see. I hope you like it.”

You can read all of the Nepales interview, including what Johnny said about PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END, Keith Richards’ arrival on the set, box office records, and the possibility of a PIRATES 4, on the Zone’s News & Views forum. Many thanks to Theresa for posting the article. –Part-Time Poet