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 – By Joe Utichi.
Film Force: This is your first sequel, was it interesting getting a chance to go back to Jack?
Johnny Depp: 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 Skarsg
