HOLLYWOOD — It's no surprise Johnny Depp is starring in a fantastical new movie titled "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," which opens in Japan on Saturday.
Born John Christopher Depp II, the ever-youthful actor — now a surprising 46 — is known for taking on offbeat, often whimsical or daring, roles and projects. (Think of him in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," in which his Willie Wonka was light years away from Gene Wilder's earlier and more staid version.)
But Depp isn't playing the immortal, 1,000-year-old Doctor Parnassus, a role that went to Canadian Christopher Plummer. Instead, he costars with Colin Farrell and Jude Law, with the trio sharing the role of Tony, one of the doctor's employees. Why? Because Tony was originally portrayed by Australian actor Heath Ledger, who died — in January, 2008 — about a third of the way through shooting. Ledger's death shut down production on the film until director and cowriter Terry Gilliam (a former member of Monty Python and himself a surprising 68) contacted, or was contacted by Depp and the other two actors. There are different versions of what happened after Ledger died.