Chocolat was released and it soon became an international best-seller. A book written by Joanne Harris about the seductive power of chocolate, but also a metaphor for the freeing power of pleasure, a voyage exploring mental both closure and tolerance. Lasse Hallstrom, the movie director who last year won two Oscar with The Cider House Rules, made a movie about this book. The main female character was played by Juliette Binoche, a mysterious vagabond who, with her recipes to make chocolate, may wake passions asleep for long time and change the way people live in a small and ancient French city.
"I was attracted by the story," the movie star explains. "But I must confess I'm also dependent upon chocolate.
It has a peculiar taste, completely different from everything else."
In the cast, we also find Judi Dench, Lena Olin and Victoire Thevisol, the child actress in Ponette.
Moreover, playing a lonely and eccentric man, we see Johnny Depp. From Edward Scissorhands to Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow, you keep on playing the outsider. Why?
"I cannot figure a precise reason, but I start thinking that my professional choices have something to do with the way I grew up: When I was a child my family was constantly wandering from town to town and I can remember school was a torment. I've never felt accepted and that was hard for me to face. I remember I've often been the school youngest victim without ever understanding the reason. Maybe I'm still looking for that reason."
Now it's Chocolat time, a movie centered on the power of food. Do you also identify yourself in this?
"Three years ago, on the set of a Roman Polanski movie, I met my girl and since then I live in France, where I feel at ease. Coming back to the USA I see a terrible violence and meanness. But I must confess that among the things I can appreciate in France is of course the pleasure of good cuisine."
And the chocolate?
"I'm promoting a movie about chocolate, but I'd rather eat paté, with a glass of good wine."
In Chocolat you are a river gypsy, then we will see you in a movie about the gypsies, settled during the occupation of Paris.
"Everybody knows the Hebrews' tragedy, but during the Second World War gypsies endured the same sufferings. To study my role, I spent a lot of time with them and this experience changed my life. I've learned to appreciate their sense of joy, their desire to live life to the fullest."
In the meanwhile you settled down. You became a devoted man and father.
"That's right. I became a perfect example of all paternity clichés I laughed at for years. I'm going to wander all over the world with Vanessa and Lily Rose. My child, in one year and a half has visited more countries than I did in my first 25 years."
Some newspapers wrote there's a new baby coming.
"That's not true, but I like the idea. If I could, I would have one hundred children. Moreover, I've done worse thing in my life, starting from some of my old movies."
A career, anyway, during which you renounced movies like Speed and you always refused purely commercial productions.
"If somebody should offer me 20 million dollars I would have nothing to say against that. But I've got a sort of allergic reaction to stereotyped movies. I always feel the need to do something new."
So you go on playing the outcast.
"Touché. But this doesn't reflect the way I feel now. I'm very very happy".

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