November 8, 1999
Going off the Depp end
By LOUIS B. HOBSON
In his own way, Johnny Depp can be diplomatic.

Last year, Depp filmed the horror movie The Ninth Gate for exiled filmmaker Roman Polanski. The movie, originally scheduled to be released in December, now has a spring release. It's doubtful Depp will be doing interviews to promote the film.

"It was not an easy film to make. Roman is pretty set in his ways. I'd heard things about his methods, but I decided to see for myself," says Depp, who stars as Ichabod Crane in Tim Burton's gothic romance Sleepy Hollow, opening Nov. 19.

"He didn't tell me how to say my lines. If he had, I'd probably be in some French jail, but he's definitely out there in his own world.

"Working with Tim Burton on Sleepy Hollow was like an exorcism. It was a cleansing from my Ninth Gate experience."

At least Depp completed The Ninth Gate.

John Travolta never made it onto the set of The Double, the film he'd agreed to make with Polanski in 1996.

Travolta and Polanski's verbal battles led to Travolta being sued for $50-million US by the film's producers. The case was settled out of court.