Movies October 14, 2011
Johnny Depp on Hunter Thompson's 'The Rum Diary': 'For Me, It's Closure'
Caught between a frenzy of flashbulbs and screaming fans, "The Rum Diary" star Johnny Depp said he was thrilled about the project. "You know, for me, this has been a very long, long road that I started with my friend, Hunter."
The actor spoke about fulfilling Thompson's desire for the film to be completed, and said, "Unfortunately, Hunter's not here tonight... well, he is here, but he's not physically here... and yeah, for me, it's closure."
The film, based on the late Hunter S. Thompson's book, almost didn't happen. In a recent special sit-down with Larry King, Depp explained he had stumbled across the story in Thompson's basement during his research for "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," in the late 90s. "One thing led to another and he wanted to publish it, but then he brought up the idea of producing it and said, 'We must produce this together,' so that was the plan," Johnny said.
During production, Johnny recalled he "most definitely" felt Hunter's presence, saying, "We made sure that he was there. We summoned him with Chivas Regal. We doused ourselves with it every day -- every morning."
Guzzle up the action and chaos in "The Rum Diary," pouring into theaters Oct. 28.
