 Sam Mendes was originally attached to direct with Russell Crowe in the title role. # This is the sixth Johnny Depp-Tim Burton collaboration. They previously made Edward Scissorhands (1990), Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), and Corpse Bride (2005) together.
Helena Bonham Carter underwent extensive vocal lessons and studied baking in preparation for her role.
Anne Hathaway was almost cast as Johanna but Tim Burton wanted a complete unknown for the role and settled with Jayne Wisener. Meryl Streep, Imelda Staunton, Cyndi Lauper and Emma Thompson were all considered for the role of Mrs. Lovett. Annette Bening and Toni Collette both also lobbied vigorously for the role of Mrs. Lovett, but lost out to Helena Bonham Carter.
During its first month of production in London, Johnny Depp had to take a ten-day leave of absence when his daughter, Lily-Rose, was rushed to a hospital due to a severe illness (which was never disclosed by the media). To accommodate his absenteeism, director Tim Burton filmed scenes that didn`t feature Depp`s character.
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# To prepare for the role of Adolfo Pirelli, Sacha Baron Cohen hired his personal barber as a consultant on shaving techniques, and took up to 16 hours to learn how to handle a razor.
Shipped to some theaters under the name "Skunk", presumably owing to the depiction of Todd with a white streak in his black hair.
Stephen Sondheim has credited the score of Hangover Square (1945), by Bernard Herrmann, as an influence on his own.
The roles of Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett were originated by Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury in the 1979 Broadway musical.
For his audition, Sacha Baron Cohen sang the entire score of Fiddler on the Roof (1971) for director Tim Burton.
British playwright Christopher Bond wrote a 1973 play titled "Sweeney Todd" which was the first to give Todd a motive other than pure greed. Bond made Todd a wrongfully imprisoned barber who returned to London after fifteen years in Australia to find that the judge responsible for his imprisonment raped his young wife and caused her suicide. Bond`s play was adapted in 1979 by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler into the Broadway musical which the film is based.
Helena Bonham Carter rehearsed her songs while practicing baking techniques in order to perfect the quick, syncopated rhythm of the music.
Composer Stephen Sondheim, notoriously protective of his stage works, long resisted offers to film this story. When Tim Burton expressed interest, however, Sondheim relented when pleased with Burton`s vision for the project and on the condition that the composer would maintain casting approval. Burton would only agree to direct with Johnny Depp in the lead, and though Sondheim feared Depp`s vocals would be too "rock oriented," the composer approved the actor after a vocal audition. To approve the casting of Helena Bonham Carter, and to combat any rumor of nepotism (as Carter and Burton were romantically involved), the actress sent Sondheim no less than twelve audition tapes of her singing. Very impressed with her vocals, Sondheim immediately approved the actress.
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# Helena Bonham Carter was pregnant throughout filming with her and director Tim Burton`s second child, and she insists (accurately) that the size of her breasts noticeably changes throughout the film, as filming was done out of sequence.
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# The address on Mrs. Lovett`s shop -- Number 186 -- is a reference to the London legend of Sweeney Todd, which placed his barber shop at this very address.
This film had been in development for over 25 years. At that point in time hundreds of actors were either considered or attached to the project, to play the role of Sweeney Todd. The list of actors include William Hurt, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Richard Dreyfuss, Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, Jack Nicholson, Steve Martin, Tim Curry, Kevin Kline, Warren Beatty and many more.
Director Trademark: [Tim Burton] [Black and white stripes] Sweeney`s bathing suit and Mrs Lovett`s long socks.
The extra-large jacket worn by Johnny Depp is a Belstaff dark leather trench, designed exclusively for the movie.
To prepare for his role, Johnny Depp had recorded demo tapes of himself in West Hollywood, working with old friend and music producer Bruce Witkin to shape his own vocals without a voice coach. He also practiced singing the musical while filming Pirates of the Caribbean: At World`s End (2007).
When filming began, there was to be an inclusion of the spirits of Sweeney Todd`s victims (including Anthony Head and Christopher Lee), who would sing "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd", its reprises and the Epilogue. These songs were recorded, but eventually cut since director Tim Burton felt that the songs were too theatrical for the film. Lee`s appearance was completely cut from the film, but Head still has an uncredited one-line cameo (after the competition, Head`s character asks Todd if he has a business of his own).
At the end of the song "A Little Priest", Todd and Mrs. Lovett strike the same pose as the promotional material used for the original Broadway production of the musical.
Several songs from the Broadway musical were excised from the film. They are: "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" (and its many reprises); "Ah, Miss"; "Johanna" (Judge Turpin`s version); "Kiss Me"; "Parlour Songs"; "City on Fire"; and "Epilogue". All ensemble / choral singing was also eliminated, most notably from "God, That`s Good", in which the title of the song is now never even sung. Many other songs remaining in the film have been shortened. The only songs to remain intact are "Epiphany"; "Pretty Women"; "Johanna" (both Anthony`s and Sweeney`s); "The Worst Pies in London"; "Wait" and "My Friends". The song "My Friends" is not sung in its entirety. One line is added and the last line was edited, from "At last, my right arm is complete again" to "At last, my arm is complete again."
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# The original Broadway production starring Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou opened at the Uris Theater on February 6, 1979 and ran for 557 performances.
Among those who influenced Johnny Depp`s performance as Sweeney Todd were Peter Lorre (especially in Mad Love (1935)), Boris Karloff, Anthony Newley and Iggy Pop.
Kate Winslet, Bernadette Peters and Nicole Kidman were all rumored to be in line for the role of Mrs. Lovett.
Voted #490 on Empire magazine`s 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time (September 2008).
Three "Harry Potter" series alumni appear in this version of "Sweeney Todd" - Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs. Lovett / Bellatrix Lestrange), Alan Rickman (Judge Turpin / Severus Snape), and Timothy Spall (Beadle / Peter Pettigrew)
Before the role of Sweeney Todd, Johnny Depp had never publicly sung in his life. The first song he recorded for the movie was `My Friends`, which, in his opinion, was one of the hardest songs Sweeney sings in the movie.
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Johnny Depp
(as Sweeney Todd)
with Helena Carter
(as Mrs. Lovett)
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