Johnny Depp Was Almost Fired from Pirates of the Caribbean for Appearing 'Drunk' or 'Gay' in His Performance as Captain Jack
They thought he was playing Jack Sparrow as a "drunk" or "gay" character
After four films (and a fifth on the way!), there's no denying that Johnny Depp has made the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and the character of Jack Sparrow absolutely iconic. But, as a recent interview has revealed, Disney wasn't always so sure that Depp was the right man to Captain their ship.
Speaking at AFI Fest 2015, Depp recalled that Disney executives were initially confused by Depp's portrayal of Sparrow, which was partially modeled off of 18th century pirates and modern rockstars (particularly Keith Richards), and questioned if Depp should be allowed to remain the star of the film, or be made to walk the plank. Depp remembered:
"They wanted to fire me. I remember it trickled back to me that [former Disney CEO] Michael Eisner went on some sort of vent about how, 'Goddammit, Johnny Depp's ruining the film. What is it? What is that thing? Is it drunk? Is it gay?' So I fully expected to be fired."
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Speaking at AFI Fest 2015, Depp recalled that Disney executives were initially confused by Depp's portrayal of Sparrow, which was partially modeled off of 18th century pirates and modern rockstars (particularly Keith Richards), and questioned if Depp should be allowed to remain the star of the film, or be made to walk the plank. Depp remembered:
"They wanted to fire me. I remember it trickled back to me that [former Disney CEO] Michael Eisner went on some sort of vent about how, 'Goddammit, Johnny Depp's ruining the film. What is it? What is that thing? Is it drunk? Is it gay?' So I fully expected to be fired."
