The fact that Tom Waits plays the devil in Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” is old news, but in a recent “interview with himself,” the gruff idiosyncratic singer talked a little bit about his role – one that played aside Heath Ledger in his last performance before his untimetly death earlier this year.
And Waits, apparently loves himself some Gilliam (we mean, Gilliam has been great, but really, “Brothers Grimm”??)
“I am the Devil in the ‘Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus’–not a devil…The Devil. I don’t know why he thought of me. I was raised in the church. Gilliam and I met on ‘Fisher King.’ He is a giant among men and I am in awe of his films. ‘Munchausen’ I’ve seen a hundred times. ‘Brazil’ is a crowning achievement. ‘Brothers Grimm’ was my favorite film last year. I had most of my scenes with Christopher Plummer (He’s Dr. Parnassus). Plummer is one of the greatest actors on earth! Mostly I watch and learn. He’s a real movie star and a gentleman. Gilliam is an impresario, captain, magician, a dictator (a nice one), a genius, and a man you’d want in the boat with you at the end of the world.”
After Ledger’s death, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell were all brought it to play his unfinished role in various incarnations, but it doesn’t sound like Waits had a chance to work aside them. ‘Imaginarium,’ is supposed to come out next year and for the sake of Gilliam’s ailing career in the last few years (‘Grimm’ and “Tideland” were practically straight to video efforts and or at least were in theaters for only a blink), we hope Ledger’s tragedy can bring him some good fortune in a non-exploitative way (if that’s at all possible).
