Title: Johnny meets Greg Roberts
Karen - January 12, 2007 05:13 AM (GMT)
Here is Greg's site...go to news Shantaram.com
Movie rights to Shantaram - (January 2005)
picture credit: VAMscan cjohn
picture credit: Bill Carter
After making the successful bid for the movie rights to Shantaram, Johnny Depp invited me to visit him in London. Took me a nanosecond, yaar, to pack a grip and pick up the First Class ticket he left for me at the British Airways desk in Melbourne. A limo picked me up at Heathrow and dropped me at a superb boutique hotel, The Baglioni, near Kensington High Street (Oh yes, Mr. Depp is very definitely a Class Act).
When I met the man himself, he was kitted out for the Willie Wonka role in Tim Burton's refacimento of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate factory. He looked surreal: a crimson Valiant vision of velvet-elegance with a hint of mischief's menace in the electronic smile (you'll see what I mean, when the movie releases in 005). Then he shook my hand - warm, strong, painter-musician grip - and took 90 seconds to set me free in the mansion of his heart.
What can I tell you? All of Johnny's fans ( a considerable number of them have contacted me in recent weeks) will be delighted but not surprised to hear that he's just about the nicest guy on the goddamn planet. He's generous, considerate, modest, brave, intelligent, good-hearted, creative, funny, gentle, wise, loving, loyal, hard-working, and almost unbearably cool.
Watching him work, on the set of Tim Burton's C and the CF, was an education in itself. The total professional, Johnny puts passion and intensity into every take, and is always in the moment. No less important, it seemed to me, was the way that he brought so much affectionate communication to every other actor in each scene, and extended that warmth to every member of the crew. It was a happy, positive set, and I put that down to Johnny's art, and his good heart, and to the sensitive brilliance of his friend, the wonderful Tim Burton.
Movie rights to Shantaram - (January 2005)
picture credit: VAMscan cjohn
picture credit: Bill Carter
After making the successful bid for the movie rights to Shantaram, Johnny Depp invited me to visit him in London. Took me a nanosecond, yaar, to pack a grip and pick up the First Class ticket he left for me at the British Airways desk in Melbourne. A limo picked me up at Heathrow and dropped me at a superb boutique hotel, The Baglioni, near Kensington High Street (Oh yes, Mr. Depp is very definitely a Class Act).
When I met the man himself, he was kitted out for the Willie Wonka role in Tim Burton's refacimento of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate factory. He looked surreal: a crimson Valiant vision of velvet-elegance with a hint of mischief's menace in the electronic smile (you'll see what I mean, when the movie releases in 005). Then he shook my hand - warm, strong, painter-musician grip - and took 90 seconds to set me free in the mansion of his heart.
What can I tell you? All of Johnny's fans ( a considerable number of them have contacted me in recent weeks) will be delighted but not surprised to hear that he's just about the nicest guy on the goddamn planet. He's generous, considerate, modest, brave, intelligent, good-hearted, creative, funny, gentle, wise, loving, loyal, hard-working, and almost unbearably cool.
Watching him work, on the set of Tim Burton's C and the CF, was an education in itself. The total professional, Johnny puts passion and intensity into every take, and is always in the moment. No less important, it seemed to me, was the way that he brought so much affectionate communication to every other actor in each scene, and extended that warmth to every member of the crew. It was a happy, positive set, and I put that down to Johnny's art, and his good heart, and to the sensitive brilliance of his friend, the wonderful Tim Burton.