USA: Actor Johhny Depp and cast of "The Libertine" attend Los Angeles premiere and tribute

Actor Johhny Depp premiered his new film "The Libertine" at the American Film Institute (AFI) Festival in Los Angeles, California on Friday (November 11) which included a tribute to the actor. The film follows the story of John Wilmot starring Depp, a.k.a. the Earl of Rochester, as the handsome, witty, devastatingly charming and unstoppably immoral Earl who lived very fast and died very young. He is a 17th century poet who famously drank and debauched his way to an early grave, only to earn posthumous critical acclaim for his life's work in the reign of Charles II portrayed by actor John Malkovich. Malkovich starred in the role of the Earl when he performed in the play version ten years back and hand picked Depp for the film role. "I thought that Johnny should do it. I mean already on stage I was much too old for it and even in the movies I had done something quite similar in a way and I thought Johnny would be great for it. I invited him out to Chicago and he came and saw the play and he said he liked it and would like to do it," Malkovich said. Depp was shocked when Malkovich asked him to step into his shoes because he thought that he could not do the role justice after seeing the acclaimed actor on stage. "Yeah I got a phone call from John about 10 years ago and he asked me if I would come to see in the play him on stage in Chicago. So I went, I had no idea why he asked me to go, I went watched the play and loved it. Then we went to dinner afterwards and he said I would like you to play the part. Which was shocking because he was so brilliant on stage and my reaction was something like, 'why don't you do it?' Then he said, 'because I want you to' and that was it, I was in, and it took us 10 years to get it off the ground," Depp said before going inside for a tribute in his honor. The film "The Libertine" which opens November 25 in Los Angeles, and New York and nationwide on January 13, explored many controversial aspects of the Earls' life. Rochester was a poet of great talent, a naval officer, a bisexual, a notorious skirt chaser, a pimp and bawd for his King, and he died 1680 of accumulated doses of both gonorrhoea and syphilis. The word "libertine" was first applied in the 1550's to a sect of Protestants in northern Europe who reasoned that since God had ordained all things, nothing could be sinful. They proceeded to act accordingly. Director Laurence Dunmore felt lucky to have the chance to work the Academy Award nominated actors for his first feature film. "It was amazing and to have the support of all of these guys Johnny (Depp), John (Malkovich), Samantha (Morton) and in fact all of the actors I had were amazing. It is an incredible project and it was one I had a very strong belief in and a strong vision for," Dunmore said. AFI paid tribute to Depp at its film festival which hosted "The Libertine" premiere and was moderated by "Time Magazine's" Richard Schickel. "Shocking, Weird, touching. It was very sweet to have Richard Schickel there with me he is a amazing man and a great journalist so I am very honored," Depp said.

ITN Source | November 17, 2005

Tags:. .john wilmot. .samantha morton. .friday november. .john malkovich. .academy award