Johnny Depp says he would have 'taken a bullet' for Gerry ...

Johnny Depp has described his close friendship with Gerry Conlon, saying he would have “taken a bullet” for him, in a moving foreword to a new ... SkiptomaincontentSkiptonavigationAdvertisementNewsOpinionSportCultureLifestyleShowMoreShowMoreNewsWorldnewsUKnewsCoronavirusClimatecrisisEnvironmentScienceGlobaldevelopmentFootballTechBusinessObituariesOpinionTheGuardianviewColumnistsCartoonsOpinionvideosLettersSportFootballCricketRugbyunionTennisCyclingF1GolfUSsportsCultureBooksMusicTV&radioArt&designFilmGamesClassicalStageLifestyleFashionFoodRecipesLove&sexHealth&fitnessHome&gardenWomenMenFamilyTravelMoneyMakeacontributionSubscribeSearchjobsHolidaysDigitalArchiveGuardianPuzzlesappGuardiancontentlicensingsiteTheGuardianappVideoPodcastsPicturesNewslettersToday'spaperInsidetheGuardianTheObserverGuardianWeeklyCrosswordsSearchjobsHolidaysDigitalArchiveGuardianPuzzlesappGuardiancontentlicensingsiteUKUKpoliticsEducationMediaSocietyLawScotlandWalesNorthernIrelandJohnnyDeppThisarticleismorethan4yearsoldJohnnyDeppsayshewouldhave'takenabullet'forGerryConlonThisarticleismorethan4yearsoldHollywoodstarrevealsclosefriendshipwithoneofGuildfordFour,whosuggestedheplayhiminfilmthatbecameIntheNameoftheFatherJohnnyDepphaswrittenaforewordtoanewbiographyofGerryConlonanddescribesIntheNameoftheSonasa‘storyofamanIloved’.Photograph:Imaginechina/Rex/ShutterstockJohnnyDepphaswrittenaforewordtoanewbiographyofGerryConlonanddescribesIntheNameoftheSonasa‘storyofamanIloved’.Photograph:Imaginechina/Rex/ShutterstockHenryMcDonaldThu5Oct201718.00BSTLastmodifiedonWed18Dec201915.19GMTJohnnyDepphasdescribedhisclosefriendshipwithGerryConlon,sayinghewouldhave“takenabullet”forhim,inamovingforewordtoanewbiographyofthemanwhospent15yearsinprisonafterhewaswronglyconvictedasanIRAbomber.TheunlikelyfriendshipbetweentheHollywoodactorandConlon,oneoftheGuildfordFour,beganwhenthepairmetintheUSin1990,theyearafterConlonhadhisconvictionoverturnedandwasreleasedfromprison.TheirfriendshipwassealedatagigbythePogues,whereDeppdescribedConlonandhisbrotheraslooking“justlikethemiscreant,unhingedmaniacsIalwaystendedtohangoutwith”.Deppdescribesthebook,IntheNameoftheSon,as“astoryofamanIloved”.GerryConlonobituaryReadmoreDepprecallshisfirstlunchwithConlonduringwhichthelattersuggestedthestarplayhiminafilmabouttobeproduced,whichbecameIntheNameoftheFatherandstarredDanielDay-LewisastheyoungBelfastmanwhowasfittedupalongwiththreefriends–PaulHill,PaddyArmstrongandCaroleRichardson–fortheGuildfordpubbombings.“Iwasalreadyonthedeckwipingawaytears(aswashe),whenhegavethefirstdetailsofhisabductionandtorturebytheBritishauthorities,”DeppsaysaboutthatmealwithConlon.GerryConlonleavingtheOldBaileywithhissistersafterthesentencesintheGuildfordFourcasewerequashedon19October1989.Photograph:PeterMacdiarmid/GettyImagesDeppevenholidayedwithConloninhisnativeWestBelfastinthesummerof1991,beforegoingonalongroadtriptoCoKerryintheIrishRepublictoseeafamousdolphincalledFungie.“Gerryhadnoneedtoconvinceme,ofcourseIwasgoingtosayyes.Whowouldn’twanttogotoaplacecalledDingletoseeadolphincalledFungie?”IntheNameoftheSoniswrittenbyConlon’schildhoodfriendRichardO’Rawe,aformerIRAprisonerintheMazeprisonwhowasspokesmanforhisfellowinmatesinthejailduringthe1981hungerstrike.GerryConlon:Myordealgoeson.ForothersthenightmareisjuststartingReadmoreConlonleftO’Raweallhisprivatepapers,correspondenceandotherdocumentspertainingtobothhistimeinprisonandhislifeafterwards.HealsorevealedtoO’Rawehiscandid,oftenpainfulstoriesofhislongbattleswithdrugaddictionafterbeingfreedfromprison.IntheNameoftheSonispublishedbyMerrionPress.TopicsJohnnyDeppNorthernIrelandIRABiographybooksnewsReusethiscontentUKUKpoliticsEducationMediaSocietyLawScotlandWalesNorthernIreland