Pirates of the Caribbean was one of the most lucrative franchises that Dinsey has produced, being the crown jewel of the Mouse empire in the 2000s. The most iconic part of the franchise, without a doubt, was Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow.
Seeing the rise of PG-13 films in 2005, with the summer box office being dominated by the likes of X-2 and 2 Fast 2 Furious, execs over at Disney wanted to cast an ‘edgier’ actor to do Pirates of the Caribbean justice. However, Depp ended up issuing an ultimatum to his producer when a certain character choice made by him caused Disney to second-guess his approach.
Johnny Depp worried Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerry Bruckheimer was the producer behind the Pirates of the Caribbean and its subsequent sequels, also producing films like Top Gun, National Treasure, and the upcoming Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. While initially not interested in the project, Bruckheimer eventually came around, promising the executives at Disney that he make the best film that he could, without causing the film to get an R rating.
Depp was cast in the role specifically because of the edgier quality that he brought to his roles, informing the audience that despite it being a Disney film, the target audiences were teenagers and adults, rather than the usual children. However, Disney and Bruckheimer regretted casting Depp immediately, as the actor, in preparation for the role, got his front teeth capped with gold, putting all the parties with a finger in the pie to get a little uncomfortable with the casting. The actor said:
“Jerry was slightly uncomfortable and the Disney executives weren’t exactly enthusiastic about it”
Johnny Depp would, of course, stay on as Captain Jack Sparrow, but not before putting an ultimatum in place.
Johnny Depp asked Disney to let him go
When the concerns about his choices for the characters were communicated to Depp, he issued an ultimatum to Disnye and Bruckheimer. The actors said:
“Look, these are the choices I made. You know my work. So either trust me or give me the boot.”
Depp would go on to not be fired, and play the iconic pirate for all five of the Pirates films. The idea might have been a part of some research that Depp did, likening pirates of the 18th Century to modern-day rockstars, causing Depp to take some inspiration from one particular rock icon.
Also Read: Original ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Script Had No Place for Johnny Depp
Given that Depp is a huge fan of rock and a musician himself, the actor would end up going with whom he considers the biggest rock icon ever as inspiration for Jack Sparrow: Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.
