Great question! Wish I had a creative bone in my body so I could answer it! It'll be interesting to save these answers to see who comes the closest to the Johnny/Tim interpretation.

This is how I visualize him:

As I said in another (probably the wrong) thread, I'd have Todd begin the movie as a horrible wretch (as horrible as Johnny wants, because we all know he will want that...) and, as he performs the grisly murders, have him become more and more presentable so that by the time he commits his last murder, he looks absolutely gorgeous. It would be an interesting reverse treatment: as Todd vents his rage by slitting throats and spilling blood, he appears to be more 'human', less beast...

What I like most about this is that Johnny would get to have his fun, but we'd get to see our beautiful boy for at least some of the movie!

Well Highhopes, I'm up for that all the time.

That is a very interesting idea, highhopes!

Liz, I think the face is good but the hair needs to be longer and wilder!

The idea of Dr.Jekell and Mr.Hyde comes to mind. Or a hippie bum off the street also comes to mind, because he starts one of the versions by coming off the boat, as an ex-con out of jail. A little bit of the Burton hair wouldn't hurt either. Period clothing.

That way, he can keep it going for Shantaram. It might be a smooth transition.
I think the pictues from the Landsbury musical are OK. But the hair needs to be longer.

I'm hoping that Tim wants to keep him beautiful in sharp contrast to his crimes...a nice Roux ponytail would be good, clean shaven FN beautiful....lovely period clothing (oh, did that period have leg hugging pants?...one can only hope). Ahhhh...my luck Johnny will devise some plan where he accidently lops off half his nose when slashing someone's throat...and then that will account for an odd singing voice.

I'll go for the Roux type ponytail or any ponytail, hopefully Johnny won't opt for the terrible wigs they wore then.Clean shaven of course as no one had facial hair then.

Over-white make-up to hide bad skin, black beauty spot and wig. Clean shaven. Over-thin and obsequeious. Thin lipped and with bad teeth. Stooped back, snivelling and oily towards his betters in front of their faces, coarse, foul and cruel behind their backs.

Quite a challenge, I think.

Ok Glad this is a little easier than yesterday's question.

I would have Sweeney start out as an innocent fellow in love with his wife that becomes more hardened as life turns on him. (I know starting out as naive is a bit of a stretch after reading about him being in prison so young and his horrible parents, but somehow we need to see that his life was ruined by the judge and not his earlier trials.) His early life could be shown in the beginning or seen as flashbacks. They could even show his rough young life and that he was trying to make it better, when London's class system strikes again and the final straw was his wife. I think Johnny could portray the changes as he gets bitter as he plots his revenge in Botany Bay.

I would expect to see him hateful and hard upon his return like in the Sondheim play. From there on he would continue his downward spiral as he carries out his revenge. I'm sure Johnny will enjoy playing someone loosing his sanity. This could be a gradual process where he is only into revenge when he meets Mrs. Lovett and still be sound enough to feel something for her besides just a means to an end. Then as he murders he can gradually become unstable and get more harried looking until he looses it.

I really don't want to see him as a crazed loony from the start so Endora's description is a bit harsh for me.
I don't think he has to be ugly to become cruel and murderous. It's more a state of mind than looks and Johnny can handle that part. I can see unkempt and less groomed with disheveled hair as he progresses downward.

Charlene wrote:


That just cracks me up, Charlene. It is so Johnny.

Liz, I think the expression on your photo is dead on. And I LOVE, yearn for, his clean-shaven mug (but with a wee bit of five o'clock shadow). But I agree with Charlene—a nice Roux ponytail would be great. Especially when it isn't in a ponytail...

Wow. Some of you are really GOOD at explaining LOOKS in English! I never really had that ability. Even lost most of what I had by livning in Asia for 17 years. I think I'm good at reading mannerisms though!

Roux, Did someone mention Roux? That thought does cross my mind too. He's bound to show up again. Either ST or Shantraram.