Date: 16th January 2008

Johnny nearly quit Sweeney Todd


Johnny Depp has revealed he nearly quit his new film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street when his daughter fell ill.

The film which has won two Golden Globes and is tipped for Oscar success is released later this month.

Johnny revealed filming was halted when eight-year-old Lily-Rose was admitted to a London hospital with the lethal E.coli virus last March.

According to The Sun Johnny said: "I don't know what anyone else's feelings were at the time - whether I was coming back or not. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to.

"
But Tim Burton, the director, and the production were unbelievably supportive and said, 'Look, we're hitting pause'."

Johnny returned to work when Lily-Rose was given the all-clear.

Johnny also revealed the prospect of singing in the film scared him. He added: "
I've always been frightened of karaoke so I've never tried it. It scares the hell out of me. I've never been that drunk. I've been drunk - but not that drunk.

"It was challenging because there have been a lot of Sweeneys over the years. So Tim Burton and I sat down and thought about what this guy was going to look like and all of that. We knew this was a pretty special opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime horror musical."

Source: Press Release