Back in December, Fast Forward Weekly had the chance to speak with Terry Gilliam about The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, his experience with Parnassus star Heath Ledger and his skewed view of the world. As is usually the case, there was far more conversation than there was room to put it in. Now that Parnassus is coming out on video, what better time to provide a little more insight into the mind of one of the most singular directors working today?

With all the trouble you’ve had getting your movies made, have you ever thought of doing something more, well, normal?

That’s kind of boring, it seems to me. There’s enough people out there that do that. I sort of fight to try and do what I do that nobody else does. That’s the important thing, it seems. I used to get scripts all the time from Hollywood, and thought, well I can name 10 other directors who’d make an equally good job, or maybe a better job, so I don’t see any reason to do those. I always look for the ones that nobody else would touch.

Is there anyone out there doing the same thing as you, either in style or just in spirit?

Ah yeah, because those are two different things. Because Tim Burton and I get compared a lot, but I think we do something very different. We just both have a visual style that’s fantastical and eye-catching. The Coen brothers, I actually think in some strange way, visually and esthetically and attitude-wise and humour-wise, I think we’re quite close. Except they tend to stay within a more realistic world. Guillermo Del Toro I like a lot. So there’s a few of us out there.