Johnny Depp and Rolling Stone Keith Richards performed impromptu set onstage at 'Rum Diary' premiere
Thursday, October 27th 2011, 4:00 AM
Johnny Depp was a man of notes - not words - on Tuesday night.
The silver-screen stud was practically mute at the premiere of "The Rum Diary" at the Museum of Modern Art, but he let his freak flag fly at the party that followed - with a little help from his "Pirates of the Caribbean" muse, Rolling Stone Keith Richards.
Depp declined to do print press interviews before the premiere, when the night's emcee, film critic Elvis Mitchell, asked if he wanted to say a few words before the move began. Depp deadpanned: "I'm okay for right now."
The star of the Hunter S. Thompson tale loosened up considerably after arriving at the Playboy-sponsored after-party at Hiro Ballroom in the Maritime Hotel.
A source at the soiree says Depp and his security entered through the back door of the Chelsea venue and headed to the balcony level of the nightspot.
The elevated area had been turned into a VIP zone. In it was Depp's co-star Amber Heard, who had waxed poetic about her leading man's "talent and passion" on the red carpet.
"He hung [out] up there nearly the whole night," says the insider, who tells us actor Paul Bettany and his wife, actress Jennifer Connolly, were among those who talked to the actor.
Depp spent much of the night chatting at the bar with rocker pal Richards, 67, who attended with daughters Alexandra, 25, and Theodora, 26.
The actor also watched from the balcony as his JD Band - which has a song on the "Rum Diary" sound track - entertained the crowd.
Depp must have liked what he heard. At the end of the set, security guards walked him and Richards down to the stage for an impromptu performance.
As partygoers rushed forward with phone cameras to record the moment, the JD Band's lead singer cracked that the crowd only "gives a s- now that Johnny's up here."
Our source says Depp donned a guitar but receded to the stage's rear so Richards could take the lead on "Key to the Highway." The song was first recorded by blues pianist Charlie Segar in 1940 and covered later by the Stones and Eric Clapton.
At the song's end, our source says, Depp and Richards, both sporting sunglasses, embraced and jumped off the stage into the crowd, and then headed back to the VIP area.
Not everyone caught the performance. Another insider says Alexandra Richards took off before her dad hit the stage, possibly because the show wasn't planned in advance.
That source says as she walked away from the Hiro, an autograph-seeker recognized her and held out a plastic bag.
"Here's some weed for your dad," our source says the fan told Alexandra. But the the Stone's progeny just shot the guy "a weird look" and ignored his offering.
Contact Gatecrasher:
Frank DiGiacomo: fdigiacomo@nydailynews.com
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