(Credits: New Line Cinema)

Filmography has many aspects, but only a select few reveal themselves. What viewers watch on screen is a story, while what goes on behind the scenes is another. In 2001, a biographical crime drama film, Blow, starring Johnny Depp, was released. Directed by Ted Demme, it revolves around the former drug kingpin George Jung, his cocaine empire, and the crime networks across the globe. Blow is currently streaming on Netflix.

Although the film was released in the early 2000s, Jung’s 60-year prison sentence kept him from viewing Blow. Nearly 20 years after the original release, Jung attended a special screening of Blow in 2018 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatre in Hollywood. Production company G2C Productions celebrated Jung’s 76th birthday at the venue and also held a Q&A round for the late Demme’s last film.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jung was involved in the pre-production and spent several hours with Demme and Depp. In the aftermath of watching Blow, Jung seized the opportunity to sing the praises of Demme. He showered gratitude for doing justice to his life story and resisting the siren song of traditional Hollywood glamour. In addition, he extolled Depp, who was equally stubborn in breaking the mould of Hollywood’s classic fantasy formula.

Jung revealed that when Depp heard Blow would be glamorised, he got defensive. “Johnny got angry and said, ‘The guy’s right here, he’s still alive, so if you can’t do it right, then you can take your money and shove it up your ass,’” Jung said. But interestingly, Jung was exactly keen on letting Depp portray him in Blow. In fact, he was hesitant.

“Ted told me Johnny played a narc in 21 Jump Street and a half-human, androgynous barber in Edward Scissorhands, so I thought, ‘This isn’t going to work,” he explained. But upon viewing the final product, Jung couldn’t be any more thankful. During the Q&A session, he highlighted Demme’s legacy and legendary works. “He was able to get inside my head and capture my being,” he mused.

It was not just Depp who honoured Demme in remembrance. The filmmaker’s business partner and Blow’s producer, Joel Stillerman, couldn’t help but chime in with a few words for Demme. “He was the life of the party, but he was also intensely loyal, fiercely creative, and there was nobody better to lead a set than him,” Stillerman added. Clearly, if it weren’t for Demme and Depp, Blow might have just fallen prey to the time-worn ways of Hollywood glorification.

“I know there’s a spirit world and Ted is here tonight,” Jung concluded as he left the white carpet from Blow’s special screening.