Hollywood rolls out red carpet for Johnny Depp’s ‘Mortdecai’

Friday, 23 January 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Johnny Depp and castmates were well rehearsed for Wednesday evening’s (21 January) Hollywood premiere of their upcoming comedy, ‘Mortdecai’.

Actor Johnny Depp and girlfriend Amber Heard laugh as they arrive for the UK premiere of ‘Mortdecai’ at Leicester Square in London 19 January – Reuters And they should, considering the crew has been busy the past week launching the film at similar red carpet events in Berlin and London. The 51-year-old Depp though told Reuters that the broad footprint that now makes up a truly global box office hasn’t changed the way he goes about his business. “For me, I just do things that are interesting, playing a character like this and having an opportunity to do something like this,” said Depp. “I want people to see it because I think they will enjoy it. It is a very funny film, but I don’t know if this a film that cranks it up at the box office. It is a film that will have a long, long life.”

Cast member Gwyneth Paltrow poses at the premiere of ‘Mortdecai’ at the TCL Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California 21 January. The movie opens in the US on 23 January – Reuters In ‘Mortdecai,’ Depp plays a charismatic, anti-hero British aristocrat. Based on a popular trilogy novel by the English author Kyril Bonfiglioli, ‘Mortdecai’ tells the story of namesake Charlie Mortdecai, a debonair art dealer and part-time rogue, who traverses the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen Goya painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold. “I spent a lot of time in England and was fascinated with the aristocratic sort of accent,” said Depp, in talking about what went into creating his off-beat character. “I supposed if anyone was the inspiration it would be Terry-Thomas or Peter Sellers. This film is very caper like, like ‘The Pink Panther’ series.”

Cast member Olivia Munn poses at the premiere of “Mortdecai” at the TCL Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California January 21, 2015. The movie opens in the U.S. on January 23. REUTERS Directed by David Koepp, the action-packed comedy features a star-studded cast including Ewan McGregor, Gwyneth Paltrow and Olivia Munn. “The script reminded me of ‘The Pink Panther’ movies,” added McGregor. “It has campy humor to it that we have not seen since those films. We all got the tone and David Koepp kept us right on line. The director was very capable and skilled. He was one of the few directors I’ve worked with who make things funnier with his directing, which is quite rare.” Depp, who’s engaged to actress Amber Heard, arrived on his own at Wednesday’s red carpet. “Mortdecai” will hit movie theaters in most global territories on Friday, 23 January.