About Roux

Roux is a character from Joanne Harris' novel Chocolat (1999) and the movie (2000) based on it directed by Lasse Hallström. In the novel, Roux is a gypsie, but in the film he's an Irish "river rat" played by the brilliant actor, Johnny Depp. Depp had already played a gypsie before in Sally Potter's The Man who Cried, so they changed the character a bit for the film.

Johnny Depp was drawn to the iconoclastic love story and the opportunity to work once more with Hallström (they previously collaborated on "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?"). Depp created Roux as a rough and tumble journeyer. "He's the kind of guy who lands his boat in a village and busks for awhile, then moves on. I thought Roux would be really into old blues, and this is the first time I've actually played guitar on film."

The fanlisting mainly focuses on the character from the movie, but it's also open for the fans of Roux from the novel. You can read more about the book on Harris' website.

The movie synopsis (includes spoilers!)

Life hasn't changed much in the last century in the little French village of Lansquenet. One wintry day a Northerly blows through town and along with it comes Vianne Rocher (JULIETTE BINOCHE) and her daughter, Anouk.

Mysteriously intriguing to the townspeople, Vianne sees them stealing glimpses as she renovates an old shop in one of the town squares. Behind the covered windows Vianne melts her cocoa into tiny whimsical shapes and fills the glass display cases with chocolats bewitched by magical powers.

When she opens her little shop, she quickly learns the town nobleman, Comte de Reynaud (ALFRED MOLINA) has turned the townspeople against her. How dare she, he insists, open a chocolaterie during Lent! Vianne's intuitive flair for guessing her customers favorite candy and the powers of the chocolat liberate a few of the citizens to her side but the mayor's strong hold on the town prevails ... for a bit of time anyway.

When Anouk implores her mother to tell the story of her grandparents once more, a bittersweet tale of Vianne's childhood is revealed. As the days pass, we are introduced to the complex simplicities of life in Lanquenet. The characters come to life before our eyes as they struggle to choose between long repressed passions and imposed sanctions. Armande (JUDI DENCH), Vianne's landlord longs to reconnect with her grandson, a lad who conceals his dark side from the mother who stands between them. Josephine (LENA OLIN) finds a long lost peace in the kitchen of the shop, safely sheltered from the brutal hand of her husband.

When a riverboat arrives with a band of gypsies, it is Roux (JOHNNY DEPP) who awakens Vianne's most secret desire.