As we’re certain you’ll recall, The Playlist had earlier reported on Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd” remake as the big to-do this holiday season. You might also recall the posting of said movie’s trailer, in which leading man Johnny Depp actually breaks out into song. Yes folks, as Depp relaid in an interview with EW.com that is him you’ll hear singing in the movie.
Depp goes on to reveal that he taught himself to sing the melodies from the musical Sweeney Todd by blasting the soundtrack in his car during his commute to and from the set of “Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”, but never ended up actually going to a vocal coach for training. Depp says, ” I just didn’t see the character developing with me doing scales in front of a piano, with a vocal teacher going, ”No, no — bring it up from the bollocks.’ That kind of thing would have been a disaster.”
Call us crazy but we can’t help thinking this is kind of an American Idol-esque way to go about learning to sing for a grizzly movie musical. To top it off, during the course of the interview Depp alludes to meeting with Stephen Sondheim, the legendary Broadway lyricist and songwriter who penned the music for Sweeney Todd. It rather smacks of Elton John teaching the American Idol kids to sing “Crocodile Rock”.
Depp elaborates that he went from car sing-a-longs to recording demos of himself in L.A. with long-time friend and former bandmate (in a group called The Kids) Bruce Witkin. He tells EW that he took these demos home to play for actor/singer/life partner Vanessa Paradis who apparently responded, “Is that you?”
We are certainly very intrigued by the idea of having Christmas dinner and then going to watch a blood bath with singing. It was going to happen with the family anyway, perhaps minus the singing.
We’ve located the second “Sweeney Todd” trailer for your viewing pleasure, this one minus any song-filled moments but plus one awesomely bloody moment.
[Ed. We personally think this movie looks like ass, but we’re still glad and grateful that Astrud wrote about it]
[Ed. We personally think this movie looks like ass, but we’re still glad and grateful that Astrud wrote about it]
Watch: “Sweeney Todd” second trailer
