Pirates Of The Caribbean Changed Completely Because Of Johnny Depp
While Johnny Depp is making an effort to get back into movies, such as the recent Jeanne du Barry, it is fair to say that his career has slowed down a lot. That has allowed perspective to analyze what his most famous roles have been over the years and Jack Sparrow definitely has to be a contender. However, the original script for the first Pirates of the Caribbean had a much different version of Jack Sparrow, and we only got the version we did due to Johnny Depp going off script to the point that he was nearly fired.
Channeling Keith Richards
Johnny Depp has been open on numerous occasions that his perception of how to play Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean was much different than the staff at Disney planned.
Depp has said he views pirates as the rock stars of their era, so he tried to channel the mannerisms of Keith Richards in his prime from Rolling Stones. But apparently Disney did not initially get what Depp was doing and really hated it.
“Yeah, they wanted to fire me,” said Johnny Depp of his time on the first Pirates of the Caribbean. “I really expected to be fired, but I wasn’t for some reason. They were actually gonna put subtitles under my character, they couldn’t understand Captain Jack.”
Sparrow Was Originally Scarier
Apparently the original version of Jack Sparrow as Disney wrote the character was much more of a straightforward antihero who was supposed to be a bit menacing.
Obviously Johnny Depp’s interpretation of Sparrow did not align with that, and his mannerisms even early into the first Pirates of the Caribbean are much more comedic. Depp played the character very quirky and flamboyant, even creating Sparrow’s signature run resembling a distraught chicken.
“It trickled back to me that Michael Eisner went on some sort of bent about how ‘Godd***it Johnny Depp’s ruining the film! Is it drunk? Is it gay?’” Johnny Depp said of the early response he got to his time on Pirates of the Caribbean.
Some associated with the film truly believe the only way to salvage it was to get rid of Depp and start fresh. “And so I fully expected to be fired, and I got a call from the upper echelon at Disney who were courageous enough to ask me, ‘What the f**k are you doing?’”
Disney Changed Their Minds
However, once the reviews and ticket sales came in, obviously Disney was won over on the reinterpretation of Jack Sparrow. Future Pirates of the Caribbean movies after the first one positioned Johnny Depp as more of a lead than Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley.
And the writing of the sequels further accentuated the unusual nature of Jack Sparrow, having him be much more openly blundering and silly. What Disney saw as the first movie’s biggest liability turned into the biggest selling point for the sequels.
Pirates Became Inseparable From Depp
By Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Johnny Depp’s take on Jack Sparrow was so iconic that Keith Richards was even brought into the movie for a cameo as a nod to inspiring Depp.
At this point, it is fair to say that the brand of the movies is so synonymous with Depp that many have even questioned the wisdom of trying to continue without him.
Following Depp’s legal troubles, Disney initially seemed ready to cut ties with him, with rumors circulating that Margot Robbie might become the new lead. If there were a Pirates 6, Depp would undoubtedly have to be considered, though.
Depp Was The Key To The Franchise’s Success
Regardless of what the future holds for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, it is fascinating how much Johnny Depp’s instincts paid off.
It led to the Pirates films becoming one of the most profitable movie franchises of all time, Jack Sparrow becoming a character recognized around the world, and turned Johnny Depp into one of the hottest stars of that time period.
Source: Vanity Fair
