|
Home | Asia | Europe | U.S. | World | Business | Tech | Science | Entertainment | Sport | Travel | Weather | Specials | Video | I-Reports |
|
Adjust font size:
    (CNN) -- Johnny Depp has appeared in a wide range of films, from art-house, in Jim Jarmusch's "Dead Man," to the recent grand-scale reworking of Roald Dahl's children's classic "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory;" from the dark and gothic "Edward Scissorhands" to the understated and deeply moving "Finding Neverland." He has played a gangster, an astronaut, a policeman, a drug dealer, a soldier, a writer and a drug-crazed journalist. However, in recent years his name has become synonymous with one of his best loved characters, the roguish Captain Jack Sparrow. In "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" Depp made his debut as Captain Jack, and instantly created a Hollywood favorite. 2006 saw the return of the loveable pirate in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest", and this summer the third installment in the franchise, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," arrives in theatres. CNN's Myleene Klass talked to the man who has made Captain Jack Sparrow an instant screen legend about the upcoming addition to this blockbusting series of films. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When asked about people's reaction to this most recent striking character, Depp replied "I hope they like Captain Jack; people seem to enjoy him." And he's right: People love this nautical rogue. The first "Pirates of the Caribbean" film is a wild rollercoaster of an adventure movie that caught imaginations across the world with its release; and at the center of it is the charismatic and utterly captivating anti-hero, Captain Jack Sparrow. Sparrow, although not key to the film's plot, which involves a cursed chest of gold, a band of skeletal pirates and a pair of star-crossed lovers, steals the show and is clearly the main factor behind the huge success of the franchise. Depp's initial portrayal of the crazy captain must go down as one of the great comedy performances of the 21st Century, and earned him a nomination for best actor at the 2004 Academy Awards. Some of the inspiration for the character's idiosyncrasies came from Depp's friend, the guitarist from legendary UK rock band the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards. In the most recent episode of the saga Richards makes an appearance as the fictional pirate's father. "What was amazing was to see Keith Richards meet Captain Jack," said Depp. "He's known Johnny for a while, but when he met Captain Jack it was pretty interesting. The funny thing is that as Captain Jack I felt I'd known Keith a lot longer than Johnny has." The combination of Jack and the real-life inspiration for the character is just one exciting aspect of the latest installment of the franchise, which features a range of new faces including the internationally renowned Chinese actor Chow Yun Fat. Depp talked about the arrival of his new fellow cast members: "These guys came in and just owned everyone instantly; they were just so down to earth and so good at what they do. Chow Yun Fat is a very nice man and a great artist and actor... He's a very special guy." The third film in the trilogy, according to Depp will be similar, in feel at least, to the original movie. "It's closely related to Pirates 1 with the rhythm and the humor," he said. "We were able to branch out in some very absurd and funny moments." At the end of the last Pirates movie Jack had been left to die at the hands, or more accurately the tentacles, of the mythical beast the Kraken, and his rescue will form a big part of the new film, but will this be the last outing for everyone's favorite buccaneer? "I love playing Captain Jack, he's a fun character to play, there's a great safety in being Captain Jack because you're almost expected to be as irresponsible as humanly possible, you can get away with a lot of stuff," said Depp, when pressed. "Yeah, I'd like to meet him again." |
Get up-to-the minute news from CNNCNN.com gives you the latest stories and video from the around the world, with in-depth coverage of U.S. news, politics, entertainment, health, crime, tech and more. |
Depp's portrayal of Captain Jack earned him an Oscar nomination in 2003.
| © 2007 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. Site Map. |
 |
|
External sites open in new window; not endorsed by CNN.com
Pay service with live and archived video.