Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - Johnny Depp interview
Interview by Rob Carnevale
JOHNNY Depp talks about the joy of returning to one of his best-loved roles, Captain Jack Sparrow, in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest…
Q. Did you ever think that the original Pirates of the Caribbean would be such a huge hit for you?
A. I had gotten used to the idea of never having a successful film. I was pretty comfy in that. It was a terrific shock. I’m still babbling over that.
Q. Were you equally as surprised at how widely loved the character of Jack Sparrow is, in spite of his faults?
A. That was an enormous surprise as well. The fact that people took the character in and really supported me, especially as some of the better-dressed people at Disney were having a difficult time with my interpretation of the character. The fact that audiences came in and supported me was a win-win situation.
Q. Did you need much convincing to come back for the sequels?
A. As long as there’s a good script there, you’re OK. I’d be happy to keep going with Captain Jack because I just very selfishly enjoy playing the character. I really love playing the guy, purely because it’s fun and nothing more. There’s no evil moment when you go into a back room and start counting money! It’s never been about that for me. It’s purely about playing the character. So if these guys wanted to continue on the same ride, if everything’s in the right place, if the script and story was good, I’d stay on the ride, sure. The idea of a sequel felt totally normal to me. I was looking forward to it, just to be able to put the gear back on and become Captain Jack.
Q. Who came up with Jack Sparrow’s distinct walk?
A. Jack’s body language came from extreme heat. I locked myself in a sauna for a long period of time which, by the way, I don’t recommend! I thought that Jack was out on the open sea for long, long periods of time and he’d be subjected to the elements. What happens when you lock yourself in a very, very hot place is that it starts to affect the way you move. You get very uncomfortable and that’s how Jack’s movements were informed.
Q. How was working with Bill Nighy [who plays the villain, Davy Jones]?
A. Bill is one of my all-time heroes and one of the finest actors around. I probably would have fallen over laughing had he been all tentacled up, but the fact is he was doing his work in a kind of glorified prison suit – this grey and black thing. It was fetching, but it was strange, with little ping-pong balls all over it. It was kind of fascinating to look at and it’s probably that what kept me from giggling all the time.
Q. How do you feel about Keith Richards playing your dad in the third film?
A. Hopefully, we’re all looking forward to seeing Keith come in and do a cameo. It’s looking very, very good. But you never say it’s definite until the guy walks on set.
Q. Do you think those better dressed people at Disney greeted this film with some relief that you weren’t going any further than last time out?
A. Well they haven’t seen 3 yet! Gore and I were talking about this a couple of weeks ago and we said that if we’re not making them really nervous, we’re not doing our jobs properly.
Q. How do you react when you see kids dressed up as Captain Jack?
A. It’s very touching when you see a kid dressed up as your character, because a couple of years ago the character didn’t exist. To see some little kid affected by something you’ve done is moving.
Q. How does it feel to have created such a unique character?
A. [Writers] Ted and Terry had written this character and they were coming in from a slightly different angle than I took. It feels very good to have taken part in the construction of this guy, this energy that is Jack Sparrow. It was great fun being in trouble, it worked – even at that early stage, when we were a month or so into shooting, and they were really nervous. Then I felt we must have reached some point, that we must have accomplished something, and I believed in it.
Q. How have you changed over the past 10 years? And how do you stay so level-headed with your fame?
A. Obviously a huge change for me was having kids. Becoming a father. But more than changing, I feel like I’ve been revealed to myself. I’ve kind of found out who I was. That first moment when you meet your child, the first time you’re looking at this angel, you start to realise what an idiot you’ve been for so many years and how much time you’ve wasted. As for being level-headed, or with my feet on the ground, once again, my kids and Vanessa have given me proper foundation, a sense of home that I never had in my life, a real sense of family and a place to be.
Q. Are there any characters from your career that you might like to revisit?
A. Years and years ago, I always thought a sequel to Edward Scissorhands would have been a good idea. I felt that we hadn’t explored all the possibilities. Obviously 20th Century Fox felt differently, and I think it had something to do with money.
Q. Do you miss the characters you create?
A. Absolutely. Every time I get to spend time with these characters, there’s always that certain point when the clock starts ticking and you know you’ll have to say goodbye. And though it sounds horribly silly for a middle-aged man to admit, I do maybe go through a bizarre deep depression and you miss these guys, because you know you’re never going to see them again in that capacity. I’m not looking forward to saying goodbye to Jack Sparrow – hint hint!
Read our interview with Bill Nighy
See Johnny and friends at the London premiere