Johnny Depp spoke as part of a panel on his new film "The Rum Diary." Photo by E.D. Cauchi/Columbia Journalism

“I like that the characters that he chooses are very quirky, and have a lot of depth,” said Columbia journalism student Zoe Read of Johnny Depp, while waiting in line for Depp’s appearance Monday night at Columbia. “Roles like ‘Benny and Joon,’ for example – not many people could have been able to play them.”

“I agree with everything,” said Marie-Sophie Schwarzer, another student. “Also, ‘Edward Scissorhands.’”

“Also, he’s hot,” added Dalal Mawad.

Sentiments like these were widely expressed among the students who began lining up 90 minutes early at Columbia’s Miller Theatre last night to hear Depp speak about Hunter S. Thompson. In an event timed to coincide with the release of “The Rum Diary,” Depp’s new film based on an early Thompson novel, Depp participated in a panel discussing Thompson’s journalistic legacy.

For a panel assembled for the edification of journalism students, the tenor in the room was unusual: As the journalism dean, Nicholas Lemann, took the stage to emcee the proceedings, he was met with anticipatory hoots, cheers and catcalls. More cheering greeted Depp as he finally took the stage, joined by guests including documentarian Alex Gibney and the film’s director, Bruce Robinson, for whom applause was polite, though decisively less pronounced.

Based loosely on Thompson’s experiences as a young writer in Puerto Rico, “The Rum Diary” follows a very Thompson-like writer as his ethics are questioned at a crumbling community newspaper in the tropics. Thompson’s first novel, “The Rum Diary” remained unpublished until long after his later first-person, wildly subjective books and articles (including “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Hell’s Angels”) changed the medium. Why Depp, the star of “Pirates of the Caribbean” and a former People Magazine “Sexiest Man Alive,” was at a journalism school event about a movie in which excessive drinking plays a major role is a tale unto itself.

The process began last March, when Assistant Dean Irena Choi Stern, who had friends at the Film District, which is distributing the movie, learned that the company was looking for ways to market the film to college students, and hoped to arrange a screening at either Columbia or New York University, and Stern convinced Film District that Columbia’s journalism program gave it a natural advantage. What followed was a long negotiation, resolved only just over a month ago, involving much wrangling on where the appearance would fit into Depp’s promotional schedule.

While Columbia has played host to guests ranging from Henry Kissinger to Noam Chomsky to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a celebrity of Depp’s variety raises its own particular challenges. In recent years, only George Clooney’s 2005 appearance to discuss his journalism-themed film “Good Night and Good Luck” has been comparable, and appearances by paparazzi at that event informed preparations for Depp’s visit.

“I would say security detail is a big one,” said Stern. “He has his own security group that works with him, and we are working very closely with campus security. It’s not like having even a movie star of a different generation come, where it’s a little more sedate. This is teenage girls kicking it up a few notches.” As it turns out, teenage girls and paparazzi were conspicuously absent from the event, security remained cautious – those who attempted to grab a quick cellphone picture of Depp were quickly and audibly reprimanded by the theater’s staff.

Despite his fame, Depp’s appearance was approved for Columbia only because its focus was entirely centered on Thompson, “I think we have to strike this balance between fame and insight,” said Sree Sreenivasan, dean of student affairs, who says that Columbia generally declines offers for advanced promo screenings for films. “We have to be careful about these celebrity-type things because, just because someone’s famous doesn’t mean they have a lot of insight, or that they’ll be helpful to our students.”

After weeks of buildup, Depp’s appearance filled the 688-seat Miller Theatre to near capacity.  The one-hour talk was rigorously focused on Thompson, and Depp spoke no more or less than any other panelist, but each time he met with thunderous applause. Some students were seen filing out as “The Rum Diary” began; Depp himself did not stay for the screening.

When asked about why the former Sexiest Man Alive is a bigger draw than, for example, Noam Chomsky, Stern was realistic. “Because every person who goes to the movies or watches television knows Johnny Depp. Does Noam Chomsky have that kind of exposure? No. If you’ve been in his class or have his books, maybe, but there’s nothing quite like film to get your face and name out there.”