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Source: FilmFocus, July 6 2006

 

Exclusive Interview with Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest


By Joe Utichi.

Johnny Depp has always been a star. Tim Burton's go-to guy has won universal acclaim for a string of wonderful and original performances in films like Edward Scissorhands, Blow and Sleepy Hollow. But, without question, it was taking on the mantle of Captain Jack Sparrow that made Depp the biggest movie star in the world. And so, here we are, a humble film website, days from the release of its sequel - having been deafened the previous evening by tens of thousands of fans who were screaming his name at the London premiere - sat down with the man, the legend, Mr. Johnny Depp.



FF: Did you ever think the first film would be such a huge hit?

Johnny Depp: No, actually, 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.

FF: Are you surprised that Captain Jack is such a loved character?

JD: That's an enormous surprise as well, the fact that people took the character in and really supported me. At a certain point during the production, 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.

FF: How do you react when you see people dressed up as him?

JD: 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. At the same time I guess I'm relieved it's Jack, I could have seen the idea of kids dressing up as Ed Wood or Raoul Duke. I might not have had the same reaction.

FF: People are starting to imitate the Captain Jack swagger...

JD: *laughs* I suppose Jack's body language, in fact, came from extreme heat. I went to a sauna, locked myself in; by the way, I don't recommend that. Out on these open seas for a long period of time, he'd obviously be subjected to the elements. So what happens when you lock yourself in a very hot place, it starts to effect the way you move and that's kind of how Jack's movement was born.

FF: This is your first sequel, was it interesting getting a chance to go back to Jack?

JD: The opportunity to play Jack Sparrow again was a real gift. I can very clearly remember wanting to be a pirate when I was a kid. It feels like that still exists for a lot of people. Something with the idea of total freedom. Everybody wants to be that free, everyone would love to be totally irreverent and not have to answer to anyone. At the end of the first one, I felt it wasn't done; there was more to be done, more possibilities, more areas to explore.

As long as there's a good script there, you're OK. And I'd be happy to keep going with Captain Jack; I just very selfishly enjoy playing the character. I really love playing the guy, purely because it's fun, 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, on the same ride, if everything's in the right place, if the script & 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. And working with Stellan Skarsgård was a real honour. He's someone I've admired for a long time.

FF: Is he fully explored in Dead Man's Chest? Is there more to him we've yet to see until the third?

JD: I kind of reckon he's fully developed from the start. He's arrived, and had arrived on the first one, so that whole idea of the arc of the character? Bollocks. The guy simply is, and he sort of moves forward.

FF: You seem quite Jack-like yourself, do you identify with the guy?

JD: He's me and I'm him. He's a character born out of me, but I don't trust him at all. I'll keep going in whatever direction I end up going - I don't really know yet.

FF: I guess acting is all about creating characters like this.

JD: Yeah. 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.

F: Do you miss these characters at the end of the shoot?

JD: 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. 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!

FF: Are there any characters from the past that you'd wished you could have met up with again, so to speak?

JD: 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. *laughs*

FF: Do you try out your characters on your kids?

JD: My kiddies have had a lot to do with it. Actually, they haven't seen Pirates 2 yet. I felt the responsible thing to do, as a parent, was to check it out first before they come to it. I've come to the conclusion that they'll be OK.

The funny thing is, with my kids, when we sit down, play Barbies or whatever, as we all do. You've played with Barbies, right? *laughs* Anyway, it's a great way for an actor to experiment with voices. You can start to assume a character. With a Barbie! My daughter would get annoyed and go, "Poppa, would you just use your normal voice, please?" *laughs*

There was one time when I was trying to find the voice of Willy Wonka, and she stopped me and said, "Who's that?" She liked it. At least, she seemed to. I said, "I think that might be Willy Wonka," and she said, "I like that."

FF: Have your kids changed you?

JD: Obviously a huge change for me was having kids and becoming a father. But more than changing, I feel like I've been revealed in 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.

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.

FF: You mentioned Stellan, but what about Bill Nighy? Is it hard not to crack up when he's around?

JD: 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's fetching, but it's strange, with little ping-pong balls all over it. It was kind of fascinating to look at and it's probably that that kept me from giggling all the time with Bill!

FF: Are you looking forward to Keith Richards' appearance in film three?

JD: Absolutely. We're all looking forward to the idea of Keith coming in and doing a cameo and it's looking good. The one thing is, though, you just never know it's definite until the guy steps on set.


FilmFocus, July 2006