Johnny Depp is gearing up to bring a darker interpretation of one literature's most known characters to the screen with his upcoming film Ebenezer. Directed by Ti West, the film is an adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novella A Christmas Carol.
Known for his transformative portrayals of complex characters and misfits, Depp explores the pain and past behind Scrooge's cold exterior. In an interview with the Youtube channel The Upcoming during the recent UK promotions, the actor took a nostalgic tour to his childhood reminiscing about his long-standing familiarity with A Christmas Carol. Speaking about what drew him to the role, Depp said, "I've been familiar with A Christmas Carol since I've been a very little kid. I used to watch the Alastair Sim’s version. Every Christmas, I would look forward to watching that film. And I've watched it on loops, you know, over the years, without ever having the intention or the idea of me playing Scrooge."
The actor also expressed his reaction to the proposed role describing the challenges that came with it. "When I got the offer to play Ebenezer Scrooge, my first reaction was - I just smiled. Because even though Alastair Sim, I believe, is the ultimate Scrooge, and a lot of people have played Scrooge, Sim’s was perfect. So that, in itself, for me was the challenge. The challenge to find a different way into Ebenezer Scrooge. So is he just simply a mean, old, miserly guy?," Johnny Depp said.
"It takes something to get there, you know. So I felt that Ebenezer's basic, ultimate life dilemma was that, at a certain point, he had to stop himself from caring because it hurt him too much. So he then just went inward," the actor explained.
Depp described, "The character is more tragic than hateful, more a product of certain experiences and his upbringing. A broken human being."
Speaking about the emotional journey at the centre of the story and how revisiting one's past can offer a path towards change, Depp added, “With the opportunity to go back inside, travel through his life and see it from a different angle to understand how he became what he became, and that some people can be brought back, you know, from that deep abyss of just self-hatred and yeah, total antisocial behavior. It's a very beautiful story, but it's certainly a story of life experience and eventuality.”
Joining Johnny Depp in this haunting adventure are Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough, Sam Claflin, Robert Strange, Tramell Tillman, and Ian McKellen, who play pivotal roles in this fresh take on Charles Dickens’ beloved ghost story.
Ebenezer's screenplay is by Nathaniel Halpern. Produced by Emma Watts through Paramount Pictures, the adventure-fantasy is set to hit theatres on November 20.