The really odd couple: Depp, Burton reunite

‘I’ll never do it again’
Depp originally came to Hollywood to pursue a music career, but as a guitarist — he only occasionally sang back up. He had no proper experience ever singing before “Sweeney Todd,” yet received the blessing of the studio and Sondheim (who could veto any casting decision) without so much as a demo tape.

“It’s like, ‘OK, you want to do an R-rated musical without any clue whether the lead actor can sing or not?”’ marveled Burton. “He’s finally arrived at the absurd level of show business.”

“I’ll never do it again,” said Depp of singing. “It was one time only. If it worked at all, it only worked because of the circumstances.”

Depp opted not to take singing lessons and instead hunkered down in a studio with a musician friend to work on his voice.

“It seemed counterproductive to stand in front of a piano noodling on scales,” said Depp. “It seemed like you wouldn’t be able to find the character.”

Several of the other leads are similarly distant from being Broadway musical veterans, including Alan Rickman (who plays the object of Sweeney’s vengeance) and Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs. Lovett). Another frequent actor for Burton, Bonham Carter is also his longtime girlfriend and mother to his child; a second is expected any day now. (Said Burton: “Hopefully, it will turn out to be a human being.”)

For Burton, casting Depp was a matter of trust in his actor that made him at ease having a non-singer star in the musical.

“When Johnny said he thought he could do it, that was good enough for me,” said Burton. “He wouldn’t have said that otherwise. He would have just said, ‘No ... way in hell I could do this.”’

Burton is now in the process of planning two features: “Alice in Wonderland” and “Frankenweenie,” the latter of which is based on his 1984 short of the same name. Depp, who lives in France with long-term girlfriend Vanessa Paradis and their two children, has had one project (“Shantaram”) shelved due to the writers strike. Instead, he recently signed on to star in Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies.”

Though they have no immediate plans to work again together, they both hope — and rather assume — it will happen.

Says Depp: “If the phone rings, he doesn’t even have to finish the sentence. I’d be there in a second.”

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