The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
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Six souls, one wagon

The travelling company at the centre of the Imaginarium — and the remarkable circumstances that gave one of them three additional faces.

Illustrated portrait of Doctor Parnassus, an ancient, robed storyteller with a long white beard and a staff

Doctor Parnassus

Played by Christopher Plummer

A monk turned immortal storyteller, older than the show he runs. Centuries of wagers with Mr. Nick have kept him alive — and kept him in debt.

Illustrated portrait of Mr. Nick, a sharply dressed gentleman with a sly smile

Mr. Nick

Played by Tom Waits

Parnassus’s oldest counterpart in the wager — courteous, patient, and always ready to renegotiate the terms in his own favour.

Illustrated portrait of Valentina, a young woman with flowers in her dark hair

Valentina

Played by Lily Cole

Parnassus’s daughter, about to turn sixteen. She longs for an ordinary life far from the wagon, unaware of exactly what was promised for her safe birth.

Illustrated portrait of Tony, a mysterious stranger in a bowler hat, his face half in shadow

Tony

Played by Heath Ledger, and — inside the Imaginarium — by Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell

A stranger pulled from beneath a bridge with no memory of how he got there. The mirror shows a different version of him to every visitor who meets him inside it.

Illustrated portrait of Anton, a young travelling-troupe performer with tousled hair

Anton

Played by Andrew Garfield

The company’s young barker, hopelessly devoted to Valentina and increasingly wary of the stranger who has caught her attention instead.

Illustrated portrait of Percy, a small, wry-faced travelling companion in a flat cap

Percy

Played by Verne Troyer

Stagehand, driver, and the company’s dry-witted voice of reason, keeping the wagon — and Parnassus — moving forward.

Behind Tony

One role, four actors

Heath Ledger died in January 2008 with roughly a third of his performance as Tony still unfilmed, following an accidental medication overdose. Rather than recast the role outright, director Terry Gilliam and Ledger’s co-stars devised a solution rooted in the film’s own premise: because the Imaginarium reshapes whoever enters it, Tony’s remaining mirror-world scenes were reassigned to three of Ledger’s friends and fellow actors.

Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell each completed a different stretch of Tony’s journey inside the mirror, all three donating their fees to Ledger’s daughter. The finished film credits Ledger first, with the closing dedication reading “and friends.”

Read the full production notes →