The surreal life

Q: I understand that after Heath Ledger died, Johnny Depp was the first actor you approached to replace him.

A: It wasn’t so much approaching him. I called him a couple of days after Heath died, basically commiserating, because he was a close friend of Heath’s as well. I said, “I don’t know what the f--k I’m going to do, I might just close the whole thing down. I really don’t know how to fix it at this point.” And he said, “Whatever you decide to do, you can count on me. I’ll be there.” And that was a rather important moment. That definitely stopped the retreat of the finances, which was going full-tilt because [the producers] were experienced, reasonable people knowing that when the star dies halfway through a movie, it’s not going to get finished. All I said was, “Johnny said he’ll help,” and it just slowed the thing down. It gave us time to figure out what we were doing.

Jude Law was one of the actors who stepped into Gilliam's production, finishing the role originally played by Heath Ledger. (Alliance Films)

Q: Why did you end up using three actors to complete Heath’s role?

A: The character of Tony goes through the mirror three times – it’s as simple as that. Nothing clever. I didn’t want to use a single actor. I wasn’t going to simply let Heath be replaced by somebody else. Also, just on a practical level, it was very unlikely you’d get an actor of his calibre who’s available just like that. We had no time, literally; we were up and shooting again in three weeks [after Ledger died]. It was nightmarish what was going on behind the scenes to make it work, but the trick was to maintain the momentum.

Q: Your films often draw on classical sources, and Imaginarium is clearly your take on the Faust theme. Dr. Parnassus has cut a deal with the devil and his Imaginarium gives its patrons an opportunity to fulfil their fantasies at a price. Was this a theme you’d wanted to explore?

A: Faust is always lurking in the background somewhere. It’s one of the big questions in life, it seems to me: What do you give up to achieve whatever it is that you want to do and how far will you go? I always find it in making a film: What do I compromise over? There’s always going to be a little bit of bargaining, so you give up something, but hopefully it’s never the essence of what you’re doing.

Q: The movie is also a valentine to the old-time travelling sideshow and its freaks and misfits.

A: I loved that world. As a kid, the Clyde Beatty Circus came to my town – Panorama City, in the heart of the San Fernando Valley – and I and a lot of other kids got to help raise the tents. I was lucky enough to be working on the sideshow tent, the freak show, which has always been to me one of those going-through-the-looking-glass moments, where you’re backstage, with all these physically extraordinary people, all sitting around playing cards and being normal. I thought, Wow, that’s interesting. They’re not freaks, they’re just extraordinary people, but as normal as the rest of us in many ways. That stuck with me, and I suppose that’s why I incorporate extraordinary people in my films.

Gilliam, right, directs Christopher Plummer in the role of the mysterious Dr. Parnassus. (Alliance Films)

Q: Speaking of extraordinary people, you’ve got the great Christopher Plummer playing Dr. Parnassus. Why did you choose him for this role?

A: Who else is at that level? He’s a phenomenal actor, with all the theatricality that Parnassus needs, and he’s just a joy to work with. The character has a lot of Shakespearean elements – there’s Prospero, there’s King Lear, even – and I thought, Chris is the one.

Q: Tom Waits is also perfect for the part of Mr. Nick, your sleazy-gambler version of the devil.

A: To me, Tom is one of the living gods out there. His musical palette goes from some of the most beautiful, tender, sweet things to some of the darkest and most disturbing. And the devil should have all that to play with, it seems to me. And that voice could lure you almost anywhere. And Lily Cole – I wanted somebody exceptional for the daughter, and there she is: she’s incredibly tall, with this head and face that belong on a 19th-century porcelain doll. And Vern, he’s got to be there – how can I do a film about extraordinary people without Vern Troyer? I just wanted to give him a chance to play a straight part for a change. He’s always thrust into the comic roles. But here [as Dr. Parnassus’s assistant], he’s the cynic, he’s the one who maintains as much dignity as possible through this whole thing. And then there was old Heath Ledger, who would have been the greatest of his generation, I think. He just got better and better. I really didn’t think there was any limit to his talent.

Q: When he died, there must have been a point where you thought this was going to be The Man Who Killed Don Quixote all over again. Although I hear you’re going to try to make that film again.

A: Some people never learn. [Laughs] I did a major rewrite of the script. We’ve improved it quite a bit. Robert Duvall has agreed to play Quixote, which to me is brilliant. Johnny won’t be in it, because he’s booked himself solid. Now we’ve just got to get the rest of the cast and some money. We start shooting April 19, but I think we’re going to miss that date. We’re not solid enough on the financial side yet.

Q: You’re a bit of a Don Quixote among filmmakers, tilting at the windmills of Hollywood. What keeps you going in the face of adversities?

A: It’s partly because those adversities are there and I don’t want them to win. [Laughs] If they win, we’re doomed! These are the small-minded, the frightened, the realistic people, and if they’re allowed to dominate, you might as well stop making movies. I don’t think of myself as Don Quixote, but it’s true, I’m determined that the world won’t be what it really is. [Laughs] One has got to keep doing it; maybe it’s kind of what keeps you alive in some way.

Q: This year marked the 40th anniversary of Monty Python. We saw plenty of lists of favourite Python skits, but what are your favourite bits of Python animation?

A: That’s a real problem, because I can’t remember what I did. [Laughs] There’re a lot of good things. I always loved the pilot who came in from flying a plane, he starts shaving, he lathers up his cheeks and chin, and then his whole face, and then he takes the razor and cuts his head off. That always made me laugh a lot.

And the old man with a pram and old ladies looking in, going coochie-coo to the baby inside of the pram, that suddenly devours them.

Q: Do you keep in contact with the other Pythons?

A: Oh yeah. Mike Palin, Terry Jones and I all live within five minutes of each other in London. So we’re very close. John [Cleese] and Eric [Idle] live out in California, so we see a lot less of them. But we own the shows, we’ve got an office that deals with all the sales, so we’re in constant touch over the business side of Python.

Q: Do you foresee a Python reunion sometime in the future?

A: Nah, I don’t think so. We like each other too much, is what it really is. We get together and we’re all really jolly, whereas when we were doing the shows and films there was much more tension in the group. I think that’s why the stuff is as good as it is. But now we’re just a bunch of old farts, happy to see each other still alive.