Johnny Depp: “It’s not like I was ever looking to become franchise boy, I was never looking to become anything like that. I just latched on to a character I loved”

Johnny Depp is coming off the release of his latest film (The Rum Diary), just wrapped on another (Dark Shadows), and is gearing up to star in another big blockbuster (Lone Ranger).  As one of the most famous and highest-paid actors working in film today, Depp has been able to pick-and-choose his projects, including The Rum Diary. 

Yet in an interview with The Guardian, Depp confesses the trouble with his success (though he wouldn’t trade it for anything) and his theory why The Rum Diary wasn’t a major success at the U.S. box office.

Depp had been a recognizable name since the late 1980s, but he obviously hit worldwide superstar status with his first turn as Captain Jack Sparrow in 2003′s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. 

Depp claims he didn’t anticipate the massive success he would receive from the role, explaining, “Pirates was a film I did just like any other one, I made that choice the same way I made every other choice.”  While he admits that he loves acting, being a superstar does have its drawbacks.  He points out, “It’s a very privileged opportunity I’ve been given, obviously. You know, the benefits are certainly very good.  But there is a trade-off, as with anything. Somebody’s always going to bring you the bill. The invoice comes.” 

Despite that, he says he wouldn’t change the success he’s earned from his recent career, saying, “I wouldn’t change anything, no. Because I think I went into it innocently, and it became what it became. And now they want to tear me down. Instantly, as soon as I did Pirates II, they say: ‘Oh, he’s selling out.’ What the fuck does that mean, selling out? What if I did Ed Wood II, is that selling out? I mean, it’s not like I was ever looking to become franchise boy, I was never looking to become anything like that. I just latched on to a character I loved.”  Read more

Johnny Depp: “I started out secretly testing characters on (my kids) to see how their reactions would be”

Don’t give the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise an ocean burial just yet. Star Johnny Depp, who plays everybody’s favorite pirate Captain Jack Sparrow in the series, said at the Cannes Film Festival that he wants to reprise his role for at least another installment.

“With Captain Jack I feel like there’s much more to be had…” said Depp after the premiere of the fourth Pirates field, On Stranger Tides, according to the New York Post. “As long as the stories, the scripts are great and you have directors like (Stranger Tides shot-caller) Rob Marshall we’ll be in good shape.”

The latest installment is preceded in the Pirates series by 2003’s The Curse of the Black Pearl, 2006’s Dead Man’s Chest and 2007’s At World’s End.

In making the films, Depp claims to be take inspiration from Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards (who plays Sparrow’s father), Loony Tune skunk Pepe Le Pew and his children. As long as he stays motivated by such disparate sources, there’s no telling how long his Pirates will rule the open sea.

“I started out secretly testing characters on (my kids) to see how their reactions would be,” recalled Depp. “With my daughter we’d be playing Barbies and I’d try out these voices on her and she’d just say ‘stop.’ They came to see the movie and I can tell by their reaction if I did alright. I haven’t been fired by my kids.”

Johnny Depp returns as Captain Jack Sparrow: “I felt if we were going to do a 4, that more than anything we owed the audience a fresh start”

This week’s Entertainment Weekly cover features the Pirates of the Caribbean blockbuster franchise, On Stranger Tides and attempts to return the focus of the film back on to Captain Jack Sparrow.

The film’s star, Johnny Depp explains, “I felt if we were going to do a 4, that more than anything we owed the audience a fresh start, without all the complicated mathematics of 1 colliding with 2 and 2 colliding with 3. I felt like it was important to eliminate as many complications as possible.”

The first three Pirates films have earned $2.6 billion in worldwide box office alone (that figure does not include home video, theme park or merchandising), with Depp earning between $32 million and $35 million.

Depp says he did not see all of the previous Pirates installments. “They had to invent a trilogy out of nowhere,” he says. “It was plot driven and complicated. I remember talking to Verbinski at certain points during production of 2 or 3, and saying: ‘I don’t really know what this means.’ He said, ‘Neither do I, but let’s just shoot it.’ This guy is this guy’s dad, and this guy was in love with this broad. It was like, ‘What?’”

Depp, who famously does not like to watch his own films adds, “I did see the first one. I have not seen the second one or the third one.”

Maybe this time around Depp will make an exception and see On Stranger Tides, which opens in theaters May 20.

To read more, go to: ew.com

Trailer: ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides When Captain Jack Sparrow crosses paths with the enigmatic Angelica, he’s not sure if it’s love — or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard, Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush

Director: Rob Marshall

 

 

 

 

Read more

Trailer: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: Captain Jack Sparrow crosses paths with a woman from his past and he’s not sure if it’s love or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard, Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush

Directed By:  Rob Marshall

Opens May 20, 2011 Read more