Into The Woods Director On Working With Johnny Depp

If you go Into The Woods today, you’ll be in for a big surprise… because this modern spin on traditional fairy-tales has a stellar cast, award-winning directors and actors, and will resonate with audiences ever after. Get the behind-the-scenes scoop from Director here…

Into the Woods hit cinemas on January 8, 2015, and is bursting with acting royalty from Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp to Emily Blunt and Anna Kendrick. The film is Directed by Oscar® nominee and DGA Award winner Rob Marshall, who, quite possibly needs a new trophy cabinet. His films have been honoured with a total of 23 Academy Award® nominations, winning nine, including Best Picture. The Director is a mega-force both on and off stage as an acclaimed Broadway director/producer and movie maker, working with Hollywood’s biggest names. You might remember his most recent film, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which grossed more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office? Or the Academy Award® winning films Memoirs of a Geisha and Chicago, winner of six Oscars® including Best Picture? Here, the talented Director reveals the attraction to Into The Woods, the genius behind the musical score and what it was like working with some of the biggest names in show biz.

Check out the cast: Why Johnny Depp, Meryl Steep, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt & Other Award-Winning Actors All Signed Up For Into the Woods

Be inspired by the costumes: Fairytale Fashion: The Latest Disney-Inspired Catwalk Trends

Here, Rob reveals …

… The Big Attraction to Into The Woods

 “I’ve always loved this show, ever since I saw the original company in 1987. It was a beautiful, joyous and important piece, and I remember just being transported by it. It was this unique combination of characters coming together and creating a tapestry of classic stories told in an incredibly profound way, exploring what happens after happily ever after. It’s okay to wish and want and hope and dream, but this piece deals with the reality of the world and the struggles and hardships that we face along the way, and I think it’s important for people today, children especially, to understand that.”

… The Key Themes

“The film explores many themes: the consequences of wishes, the complexity of the parent/child relationship, greed, ambition, loss, and, perhaps most importantly, unconditional love and the power of the human spirit.  In many ways I think Into the Woods is a fairy tale for the 21st century post 9/11 generation. I believe Sondheim and James Lapine (writer) were way ahead of their time when they wrote this. The story also addresses the concept of family, and how our notion of the typical family has evolved over the years. At the end of the piece there is this beautiful, unique family that has been created. It makes you realise that families are created in different ways, and this just happens to be a family that was created by circumstance.”

The Baker (James Corden) and his Wife (Emily Blunt) meet Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) and his cow, Milky Way, in the Woods, in Disney’s Into The Woods, directed by Rob Marshall. Photo: Peter Mountain. © 2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

… The Composer and Music

“Stephen Sondheim is the greatest living composer we have. Actors love singing his material because in a way, he is an actor himself, in that he writes for and about the character (their wants, their needs, their fears, their vulnerability, their joys, etc.).  What’s beautiful about a Stephen Sondheim song is that it’s never just a song about something generic, it’s something very specific, and things change during the song. The beginning of the song is not the same as the end of the song… it’s a journey of sorts, and that’s why the songs don’t step outside of the scene, but live inside the piece so integrally, which is part of the genius of his work.”

Producer John DeLuca, Tracey Ullman, Daniel Huttlestone, writer James Lapine, Lilla Crawford, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, composer Stephen Sondheim, Anna Kendrick, MacKenzie Mauzy, director Rob Marshall, Billy Magnussen, Christine Baranski and producer Marc Platt attend the world premiere of Into the Woods in New York City. Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

… The Witch, Meryl Streep

“Meryl Streep was for me the key ingredient to the film. I couldn’t imagine making this film without her. She brings everything you might imagine to the work, and more. Her depth, vulnerability, imagination, humour, and spontaneity is unparalleled. Not to mention her voice… Wow! That knocked me out. I knew she could sing, but like this? I had no idea. The truth is there is nothing she can’t do.”

… The Baker’s Wife, Emily Blunt

“One of my philosophies about casting is that ultimately, if you do it right you actually don’t have to make the choice… it’s made for you. In other words, someone comes in and claims the role and says, ‘This is mine,’ and that’s exactly what happened all throughout the casting process of this film. I honestly thought Emily Blunt would be perfection in the role of the Baker’s Wife, but I didn’t think in a million years she could sing as well as she does. And she came in and sang ‘Moments in the Woods,’ and it was a full performance and I couldn’t believe it. By the end of the song I literally found myself crying because I was so happy that someone had all the ingredients required for the Baker’s Wife. The character has to be incredibly warm and accessible, funny, have a big heart and be able to sing as well, and she had all of it.”

Producer John DeLuca and director Rob Marshall (center) with James Corden and Emily Blunt on the set of Into The Woods, based on the Tony (R) Award-winning original musical classic by James Lapine, who also penned the screenplay, and legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, who provides music and lyrics. Photography: Peter Mountain. ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

… The Wolf, Johnny Depp

“I asked Johnny Depp to play the Wolf on the heels of our working together on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  He immediately said yes.  There truly isn’t a more inventive, fun, daring and exciting actor around today.  Not to mention, generous and kind.  He was excited about the idea of being part of an ensemble cast and of working on yet another Sondheim movie musical.”

… The Film’s Message

“The one thing I love about this film is that there’s so much entertainment in addition to the many diverse levels it operates on. It’s such an exciting ride because it contains all these different characters intersecting in the Woods with wonderful songs, yet it also says something profound, moving and important about life.”

 

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