Several months ago, I blogged about the episode of This American Life (the Showtime series) that featured Mike Phillips, a writer and geek who also happens to have spinal muscular atrophy. Mike is unable to speak and Johnny Depp served as Mike’s proxy voice. In the latest edition of The A.V. Club, TAL host Ira Glass reveals how Depp came to be involved with that particular episode:
We were about three weeks away from having to have the whole thing
finished and ready to go on TV, and the president of the network, Bob
Greenblatt, said, “Hey, have you tried this other star [Depp]?” We thought,
“No, because what chance would we have?” Bob said “No, no try him, try
him.” So basically, I sent an e-mail to his sister, who is his manager,
and his sister forwarded it to him, and we got a response five minutes
later, saying yes.
Remind me to ask Depp to do the audio version of my first book. Both of us will be pushing old age by the time I get anything published and he might need the work.
Nah… Johnny Depp won’t need work… he will be smokin’ hot ’til the day he dies… But get to work on that book! I can’t wait to read it.