Johnny Deppis Captain Jack Sparrow, and Captain Jack Sparrow is Johnny Depp. Ever since the pauper of the surf, the jester of Tortuga (thanks,Michael Bolton), made his on-screen debut inPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the two have become so inextricably linked that it’s difficult — nae, impossible — to picture one without the other. It would be great to believe that it was a match from the start, but the truth is, it wasn’t. Just like howChristopher Reeve,the definitive Superman,wasn’t always first in linefor his career-defining role, Depp wasn’t the first for Sparrow. Or second. Or third.If writer and co-creator Stuart Beattie hadhisway, the role would have gone to fellow AussieHugh Jackman.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) arrives at Port Royal in the Caribbean without a ship or crew. His timing is inopportune, however, because later that evening the town is besieged by a pirate ship. The pirates kidnap the governor’s daughter, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), who’s in possession of a valuable coin that is linked to a curse that has transformed the pirates into the undead. A gallant blacksmith (Orlando Bloom) in love with Elizabeth allies with Sparrow in pursuit of the pirates.
Hugh Jackman Put the ‘Jack’ in Captain Jack Sparrow
Per ABC,the story of Captain Jack Sparrow begins at Oregon State University in 1991. Stuart Beattie was at the university on exchange, and while there he drafted a script for a pirate movie he calledQuest for the Caribbean. It was one of a handful of scripts that Beattie would bring to Walt Disney Studios every year, over the course of ten years. And every year, over the course of ten years, he was politely rejected. Beattie’s fortunes changed when the chairman of Walt Disney Corporation had the idea to turn three ofDisneyland’s iconic attractions into films: the Haunted Mansion, Teddy Bears Picnic, and, yep, Pirates of the Caribbean.
As Beattie tells ABC:
“Everyone thought Haunted Mansion and the Teddy Bears Picnic were great ideas and that Pirates was the worst idea. So the executives went, ‘God who are we going to get to write this?’ and someone said, ‘There’s that crazy Australian guy who keeps sending us scripts, maybe we should hire him?’. So they called me.”
With his foot finally in the door, it was time to polish up the script. So, when it came to creating Captain Jack Sparrow, Beattie envisaged an acquaintance in the role, a talentedAussie actorhe knew of (but few others did) who had graduated from the same Sydney boys' school a few years before him. That little-known actor was none other than Hugh Jackman, andnot only was Jackman who Beattie had in mind for the role, but he even named the character after him. As Beattie confesses in the same interview, “I had seen him in all these musicals growing up, so I knew this guy was a phenomenal talent and so that’s what I thought of, ‘Jack. Yeah, Jack Sparrow!'”
Why Didn’t Disney Want Hugh Jackman as Jack Sparrow?
While Hugh Jackman made a name for himself in Australia, internationally he had yet to make his mark. Disney wasn’t willing to take a chance on the relative unknown, however, anddismissed Stuart Beattie’s suggestionright off the bat (don’t feel too bad — Beattie and Jackman would work together with American/Australian actressNicole Kidmanin 2008’s oddly-appropriateAustralia). With Jackman off a list he was never really on in the first place,Disney pursued others for the roleof the rogueish pirate, like manyothers considered for iconic charactersbefore settling on one.Jim Carreywas offered the role, but had to turn it down when it clashed with the filming ofBruce Almighty(Carrey, andTom Cruise, were also in the running for another Depp role, the titular hero ofEdward Scissorhands).Michael Keatonwas another actor considered for Sparrow, as wasChristopher Walken. (Don’t try and even picture that, it’s frightening.)Cary Elwes,Matthew McConaughey,andRik MayallofDrop Dead Fredfame made the shortlist as well.The strangest name attached to Jack Sparrow, though, has to be Robert De Niro. De Niro was offered the role, reportedly, but thought that a pirate movie would tank at the box office, asmany pirate movies prior had, and declined. He would end up playing a pirate, Captain Shakespeare, inStardust, which, ironically,didflop.
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So the role fell to Depp, who promptly almost lost it. Depp himself explains the process he took to create Sparrow, and Disney’s reaction to it,in a 2018 interview at the Zurich Film Festival. Sparrow was written as a swashbuckler, not unlike the depictions of pirates throughout Hollywood history. Depp, however, rationalized what a pirate under those conditions would actually be like. His mental stability would be affected by long periods in the heat, and he’d be wobbly on land due to his sea legs. For Sparrow’s look and demeanor,producerJerry Bruckheimersays that Depp based Sparrow on a “combination ofKeith Richardsand Pepé Le Pew.” Upon Disney executives seeing Depp’s interpretation, Depp recalls the reaction: “‘What’s he doing?’ Then I got phone calls: ‘You’ve got to lose the dangly things and what’s that sore on your face?’ ‘What’s going on? Is he mentally just gone, left the building a long time ago, or is he just incredibly drunk or is he gay?'” To the latter, Depp cheekily replied, “Sorry, don’t you know that all my characters are gay?“Micheal Eisner, the head of Disney at the time, screamed, “Depp is ruining the film! We’re going to have to subtitle it. Nobody can understand what he’s saying. What is he doing?“Nevertheless, Depp kept the role, and Disney made a ton of money as a result.
Disney Didn’t Want Hugh Jackman, but ‘X-Men’ Did
As for Hugh Jackman, the fates had something more in mind.AsX-MenscreenwriterDavid Hayterrecalls, the character of Wolverine was originally created for Australian permanent residentMel Gibson, but that didn’t pan out.Viggo Mortensencame in to audition, as didGlenn Danzig, a self-proclaimed Wolverine fanatic. Fox executiveTom Rothmanwas pushing foractorDougray Scottin the role, and he was the name settled on. Only he was shootingMission: Impossible 2at the time, and Tom Cruise kept insisting that Scott was needed “a little while longer.” After this had gone on for some time, it started to smell fishy. The costume designer went to Australia, whereM:I2was being filmed, and found out what was really happening. Scott had been in a motorcycle accident during filming, and seriously injured as a result. Jackman’s name had been tossed about earlier in the process, so executive producerLauren Shuler Donnersaid, “Why don’t we bring him?“Jackman landed the role of Wolverine, claimed it as his own, and the rest, as they say, is history.
If Jackman had been given the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, it’s likely he, too, would have delivered a memorable performance, butthe character would have been dramatically different. Physically, Jackman and Depp are polar opposites, which would affect Sparrow’s actions, and it’s unlikely that Jackman would have had the same rationalization process to build the character as Depp.All said, it’s clear that things worked out as they should have, with both Depp andJackman building wildly successful, career-defining characters. Jackman will be bringing his Wolverine out of retirement for the upcomingDeadpool & Wolverine.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearlis available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
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