Who is the bigger box-office champ: Johnny Depp or his fictional alter ego Jack Sparrow? – By Anthony Breznican for USA Today.
“There are people out there who love Pirates but don’t like Johnny Depp, particularly, and don’t have an interest in seeing him in other things, but they like this particular character,” Poland says. “And there are other people who go to see every Johnny Depp thing. And then there are people who will now go see Depp’s other movies because of this.”
Depp is crucial to Pirates’ success, but “you can’t sell him in something people don’t want to see,” Poland says.
Whatever the case, Depp’s Sparrow is getting the credit for this huge debut, from both audiences and the film’s studio, Disney. A survey from online ticket-seller Fandango found 63% of audiences said Depp was a main factor in their decision to see the movie.
Depp has acknowledged that he sometimes clicks with fans and sometimes doesn’t. “You should be pushing yourself to the absolute brink of failure, in terms of like, ‘Boy, if this don’t work, it’s going to be real bad. And if it does work, it might be great,’ ” he said in an interview before the movie opened.
With the two Pirates films, and last summer’s blockbuster Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Depp’s idiosyncratic performances hit the right note with mainstream audiences.
This latest success probably will bolster Depp’s ability to take on other curious, less-commercial characters. He is finishing the third Pirates for next Memorial Day and is considering starring in the movie version of the Broadway musical Sweeney Todd. He has long wanted to make the drama Shantaram, about an escaped Australian prisoner in India seeking redemption.
Pirates producer Jerry Bruckheimer says Depp and Sparrow touched a nerve because “audiences love surprises.”
“When you think of pirates, you think of ‘Arrr!’ and Long John Silver and eyepatches and hooks and peg legs. He didn’t do any of that, but took it in a different direction,” Bruckheimer says. “That’s why you hire him.”
