Jerry Bruckheimer Talks

Filed under Interviews by on April 27, 2011 at 4:10 am {no comments}

Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley

The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy represents the very essence of why legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer makes moves.

“I love Pirates because there are very few films you can take your children to and you can all enjoy the experience. It is rare,” he says. “And, you know, I have made enough money, I don’t have to do this anymore. But I do it to entertain people and a movie like this really entertains people on a global basis and that is a real thrill.”

When the first Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was released in 2003 it was a critical and box office triumph. Now Bruckheimer has re-untied his team – director Gore Verbinski, cast Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom and indeed crew – to make Pirates 2, Dead Man’s Chest, and Pirates 3, virtually back to back.

“If that had not all come together – same director, same cast and crew,” he reflects. “I don’t think we would be here right now.”

Bruckheimer reveals that he was thinking of a sequel when the first Pirates was being filmed – long before, of course, it become a box office phenomenon. At that time, a skeptical media was casting doubts on the commercial chances of a film based on a theme park ride. How wrong they were.

“And it wasn’t until the picture started making steam that we got the studio to say “Yeah, let’s go! Start writing another one!” Johnny loves the character and he’ll tell you that and he was excited about coming back.”

Bruckheimer isn’t gloating – his remarkable track record speaks for itself – just delighted that a project he clearly adores is back with a massive fan base anxious to discover what happens to lovable rogue Jack Sparrow (Depp) and young lovers Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) and Will Turner (Bloom).

“The anticipation for the movie is very high,” he says. “We feel that there is real want and need to see a continuation and since we have created what we consider a full story between the three movies – because everything that you will see in the second and third movie really relate to the first – it’s created a real arc and a real trilogy for the three films.”

Indeed, such is Bruckheimer’s enthusiasm for the project he would quite happily make a further three films. He certainly wants the ships used in the movies, The Black Pearl – pirate Jack Sparrow’s ship – and The Flying Dutchman, to be kept shipshape and Bristol fashion just in case.

“Hopefully, we’ll make more,” he says. “Hopefully Disney will save these ships, unlike last time, and save the sets and we can continue another trilogy – another three films. I would love to do that but it’s not my money.

“Johnny loves the character and he’d love to play it. He has a fan base at home; his two kids love it. So that’s a good start.”

Bruckheimer, 60, is one of the most successful producers in Hollywood. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he started his career producing television commercials before moving on to films with his partner, the late Don Simpson.

His list of credits is truly remarkable – ranging from American Gigolo, Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, Bad Boys, Crimson Tide, Con Air and Armageddon amongst many others, in the seventies, eighties and nineties. More recently, he has produced Gone In Sixty Seconds, Pearl Harbour, King Arthur and Glory Road.

This interview was conducted on set at the Universal Studios biggest sound stage.

Was it a risk to make these movies back to back?

It’s made around $600m in revenue, just in theatrical revenue not counting DVDs and all the other stuff, so it’s a pretty good bet. Especially if you can get the same writers back, the same directors, the same director and the same cast and had that not all come together I don’t think we would be here right now.

Did everyone commit to the project straight away? When did you decide to make two and three?

We were thinking about it while we were making the first one but the studio wasn’t. Then the press was slamming us for making a movie about a theme park ride that involved pirates because pirates were a dead issue at the box office – at least in the past. And it wasn’t until the picture started making steam that we got the studio to say “Yeah, let’s go! Start writing another one!” And Johnny loves the character and he’ll tell you that and he was excited about coming back.

You actually do have a bit of a break in between two and three. There was the two month hiatus and then in early 2006 Gore will have to go off and finish editing number two. What was the thinking behind that?

Well, first of all Gore needed time to edit the movie so he needed the two months to cut the two together and then jump to three and you don’t want the audience to over dose on it too, give them too much, so we thought the year apart was good as far as generating more interest. Plus, you have the DVD coming out and revitalising two, before three comes out. So it was a good plan from a business point of view

It must be an added bonus that both Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley have become bigger stars since the first movie?

Yeah, it’s great. The anticipation for the movie is very high. We feel that there is real want and need to see a continuation and since we have created what we consider a full story between the three movies -because everything that you will see in the second and third movie really relate to the first – it’s created a real arc and a real trilogy for the three films.

Is there more pressure after having so much success with the first one?

I feel pressure on every project even the tiny ones. I feel pressure every time I take somebody else’s money and try to get a good return on it. So sure.

You’ve worked on so many different movies- big scale, small scale. How does this compare? Is this the biggest so far?

Yeah I think it is the biggest undertaking that I have ever done. I’m doing two movies back to back plus all of the other things, ten television series and there are two other movies that we are currently working on. This is a big chunk of my time, let’s put it that way.

Q: The first film was a great surprise and no one knew what to expect. But now we kind of know what Johnny’s performance is going to be like. How do you conquer that and still make it surprising?

Well it’s all about story telling. It’s all about really good story telling. We have a new character, we have a number of new characters and we have a creature. It is a bigger, funnier, more exciting script. You don’t know how the movie is going to turn out but I know the script is wonderful and the dailies and cut footage I’ve seen seem terrific. I don’t make the decisions about what you spend money on when you go the theatre, you do,. So whether you’re going to spend your six or ten bucks to go and see Pirates, I don’t know. But I hope you will.

How much input did you have in the scripts?

Well it `s a team; Gore, the writers, myself, my group of executives all work on it together. It’s certainly a vision by the writers and by Gore. The writers came up with the ideas and the new characters for the second and third films then Gore certainly worked on it and embellished it as did our company. It’s a team. But it’s the writers who are the driving force creatively, along with Gore…

Whose decision was it to cast Chow Yun-Fat in the third film?

I think it was a combination of Gore and myself and the writers. He’s just a wonderful actor and he is a real gentleman .I’m thrilled to be able to work with him.

Is the Asian element in the third part an attempt on your part to tap into the huge Asian audience?

Well we had a huge Asian audience for the first one . It did really well out there and we kind of wanted to give them something too. Why not? We really did well in Japan, Hong Kong and all those markets.

The first Pirates introduced Johnny Depp to a much wider audience…

Yeah, sure, Disney made a PG13 movie for the first time and parents thought �Well, it’s a Disney label, maybe my 10 year old can see it.’ Before most of Johnny’s pictures were R rated, or wonderful artistic endeavours, that were not big crowd pullers. But, suddenly kids knew who Johnny was. And we’ve got kids now who want to be Johnny Depp ; 8 year olds running around in pirate hats and swords. Pirate costumes are the most bought costumes now.

Is there going to be a whole lot of merchandise to go with the film?

I hope so because there wasn’t much on the first one. It caught Disney by surprise.

Is the script now driven by something that you can merchandise?

I don’t think we look at it that way, but I think we’ll probably take advantage of everything we have in there in terms of merchandising it. For example, we have a dice game that’s a lot of fun and hopefully we’ll get some company who can do the same dice game. It shows up in the Pirates Two.

Why have you employed so many British actors?

A number of reasons. One they’re really good. I like good actors and they are very talented and this kind movie really lends itself to that. An American accent probably wouldn’t work too well in this movie. So I think it is that old fashion kind of English drawl that they have. It is perfect for a pirate movie.

Do you have to pay your professional cast a little bit more than in the first part?

Yeah, you are absolutely right (laughs)

What are the advantages of a sequel?

For a studio it gives them confidence that there is an audience that is pre-sold. So, if you liked the first one, chances are that you’ll sample the second.

What is the key to controlling a film like this?

Nothing is ever under control. I’m not under control. I can’t control my wife! (laughter) Let alone anything else.

But it’s a big movie?

Yes, as a movie it’s got a lot of moving parts and it is doing quite well. Some parts break down and you fix them. But as, as a movie of this size it’s as good as you can imagine. You don’t know because tomorrow something could happen that you just hope doesn’t happen. I was getting ready to make a movie in New Orleans, and we were supposed to start last October, obviously we didn’t g at that time. So you never know what can happen on a film. But it all comes down to the director and we have a wonderful director and he is very prepared. He knows what he wants to do and most of his big action sequences are pre planned. He’s got IOM working with him and they’re wonderful. So for this size, it is going quite well.

What parts have broken down on Pirates?

Every day something breaks down. I don’t think any major parts. We had a storm in the Caribbean. We built this tank and the depth was down to 25ft and the sand came in and we had to re dig it and put a retaining wall in. But things like that happen on a daily basis: a ship won’t be ready on time, an actor gets sick. We had an actor get sick and he couldn’t fly from England. Those things happen. But it is just part of it being a big movie. I don’t see that as a detriment,. When you have been doing it as long as I have, you just see it as daily events.

What can you tell us about the story? What’s the overview?

Well basically the overview is that the East India Trading Company, which you sort of met in the first movie, has come to Port Royal to take over the seas and make the seas free of pirates and the first thing they do is arrest everybody associated with letting Johnny go and so that’s the beginning. And this character, Beckett is the major villain in the piece. He is trying to get rid of all the pirates. It is kind of like Wal-Mart eating up all the independents you know, so he wants to get rid of all the privateers. And then Johnny made a deal in order to get the Black Pearl before the first movie started, with Davy Jones, the legendary character who lives under the sea. They agreed Johnny could have the Black Pearl for 10 years but then he owed his soul to Davy Jones. And now it’s 10 years and Davy Jones has come back to claim Johnny, and Johnny doesn’t want to go. So he has got to figure out a deal to get him away from Davy Jones. And Davy Jones, because he can’t find Johnny, sends this creature. He’s been living under the sea forever and all his tentacles move and he smokes a pipe. (Played by Bill Nighy).

And how often have you sat down with Keith Richards to discuss him appearing in Pirates 3?

I never have. Johnny has, not me.

Are you still hopeful that it`ll happen?

Well, we’ve got some schedule problems with his tour, so we’ll see.

Does the ending of two leave you having to see three, or is it kind of completed?

I think there is an emotional ending to it. But then there’s something else that happens. It will certainly make you want to come back.

Could you translate this to TV?

You could do anything but hopefully we’ll make more. Hopefully Disney will save these ships, unlike last time, and save the sets and we can continue another trilogy. Another three films. I would love to do that but it’s not my money.

And Johnny has already indicated as well that he would do more…

Yeah, he loves the character and he’d love to play it. He has a fan base at home; his two kids love it. So, that’s a good start.

And so once the third part is over there’s a consideration of doing a 4th and 5th?

Yeah I would love to. But I don’t write the cheques.

You’ve made a lot of films, what is it that you love so much about Pirates?

I love Pirates there are very few films you can take your children to and you can all enjoy the experience. it is rare. Normally we dumb down things for kids and you are sitting there thinking, “I can’t wait to get out of here.” You’re thinking about everything but the movie and something like this comes along and you just get such a broad audience and it is not just a movie here for Americans, it’s bigger elsewhere in the world. And it’s the reason I do this. I have made enough money, I don’t have to do this anymore. But I do it to entertain people and a movie like this really entertains people on a global basis and that is a real thrill to be able to do this – take people away from their lives for a couple of hours and make them feel good, make them feel something. Let them watch something that engages them, where they like the characters and they want to be with the characters and that is a lot of fun.

Are there plans to modify the actual rides in Disneyland?

I know they are doing some alterations to the ride that I think will be open around the time of the movie at least in California, and maybe in Florida, too. I don’t know about the rest of them, but I know they are making some alterations.

Are you on set much yourself?

I try to come by here once a day. But I have so many other responsibilities too. And when they’re out of town I try to go out for a week and then come back for a week. But I do love being with the actors, it’s just that we have so many other things.

Swords & Stunts – George Marshall Ruge Q & A

Filed under Interviews, Pirates Facts by on April 27, 2011 at 3:55 am {no comments}

Pirates of the Caribbean Swords and Stunts

With Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest set for release in just a few weeks, it’s time to grab the popcorn and get ready for the return of the best or — depending on your point of view — the worst pirate in history.

Yes, Captain Jack is back, with Johnny Depp taking another turn as Hollywood’s most eccentric but best-dressed pirate, and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) along for the ride in another adventure full of intrigue, comedy and the supernatural.

Among the many pleasures of the first Pirates film, aside from Johnny Depp’s deservedly Oscar-nominated performance, were the cleverly staged sword fights and action sequences which were often as witty and elegant as they were thrilling. The man behind the action is George Marshall Ruge, sometime poet, screenwriter and actor, and the stunt coordinator on both the Pirates films already in the can and the third one to come.

Ruge’s previous credits include National Treasure and all three of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. “The whole cast and crew have really poured their hearts and souls into the Pirates films,” says Ruge, who talked to us about heat, humidity, Johnny Depp’s skills with a sword and the perils of working on water.

How would you compare Dead Man’s Chest to the first Pirates of the Caribbean film, The Curse of the Black Pearl?

I think people will be surprised by Dead Man’s Chest. This second film is visually stunning and the action is unique and oftentimes epic in scope. It’s a bit darker in some ways perhaps, but it’s also got all the charm, wit and good fun that made the first film so memorable.

As for your involvement in the film – action and stunts — did it seem challenging to top what you did in the first film?

I think it’s a huge mistake approaching work from the aspect of trying to top yourself, particularly in terms of action. If you take that approach, you’re simply creating action for action’s sake. It’s gratuitous. The challenge in this film, as in any film, was to create action that’s part of the fabric of the story.

Well, the first Pirates film certainly had some amazing action sequences, like the opening fight between Captain Jack (Johnny Depp) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom). Do you have a favorite scene in Dead Man’s Chest?

There’s a 3-way swordfight that was the most challenging and personally rewarding scene in the film. It involves Jack, Will and Norrington (Jack Davenport) fighting with each other along a white sand bar in the middle of the ocean. The scene has a real panoramic look. The fight leads them to an abandoned church and continues along the ruined, skeletal walls and they end up on this huge mill wheel, which breaks free and rolls through the jungle, eventually landing them all back on the beach.

It sounds exhausting just hearing about it.

It wasn’t easy, but we’re all proud of the result. The actors and stunt doubles had to endure sand the consistency of a milk shake, intense heat and humidity, working high up with an elaborate overhead cable system, and dealing with the mill wheel, which was eighteen feet across, weighed eighteen hundred pounds and did a complete revolution in sixteen seconds.

Is it possible to quantify how much work goes into a scene like that?

Literally months of prep, training, rigging, rehearsals, etc., and it felt like twenty-four hours a day to me because it was never out of my mind. As for the filming itself, between the first and second units it probably took the best part of six weeks.

Both Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom have had experience of sword fighting before, and not just on Pirates of the Caribbean. Are they old pros at this point?

Every film presents new challenges but Johnny is a natural athlete and fortunately a very quick study because the demands on his time, as with all of the principal actors, limited rehearsal opportunities. I’ve now done six films with Orlando, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and he is very comfortable and skilled with the sword.

Do you try and design things so Captain Jack and Will Turner fight in a way that reflects their characters?

Absolutely. I focus on character first. For example, although we all know that Captain Jack can and does fight, I want there to be the overriding sense in any fight that if there were an easier way out of a situation, then he’d take it. Captain Jack has no interest in being a hero for the sake of it, whereas with Will Turner there’s no hanging back. He’s unafraid and willing to die for what’s right. Johnny starts tweaking his physical action to suit Captain Jack, processing and incorporating his character into every movement and detail from the very beginning, which is fascinating to see.

Are Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom enthusiastic about the action scenes?

Both of them want to do the best they can and they both approach the action scenes with great passion. On the other hand, I’m sure there are days when they would rather be doing dialogue in a scene that’s purely romantic or comic than being strapped inside a giant rotating wheel in 120-degree heat and humidity! That’s sort of a no-brainer.

Keira Knightley expressed frustration that she didn’t get to do enough action in The Curse of the Black Pearl. Does she make up for it in Dead Man’s Chest?

Keira certainly can’t be frustrated over a lack of action anymore! She is as much an action hero in this film as anybody and a very bright blade. She had worked on King Arthur prior to the start of Dead Man’s Chest and she’s simply a great athlete and has a near photographic memory in terms of learning choreography. To be honest, I think she was probably just a bit apprehensive when she saw the extent and complexity of the scenes we had put together. But Keira being Keira, that apprehension quickly transformed itself into determination and she pulled it all off fantastically.

Given that classic sword fights are less common than they were in Hollywood’s Golden Age, is it hard for you to find the additional actors and stunt doubles you need for a film which is on as big a scale as Pirates of the Caribbean?

Yes, it is hard. There was a time when all trained actors and stunt performers had a background in �stage combat� and fencing, now they just say they do! On the other hand, we’ve just gone through a cycle of period films inspired by films like Gladiator and the Lord of the Rings trilogy and that’s given performers a good reason to become better versed in the art of sword work.

How many stunt performers did you use for Dead Man’s Chest and do they substitute for the principal actors where possible?

There were over 80 stunt performers, and it’s hard to generalize about when they stand in for the lead actors. There are so many factors involved, with safety being the main consideration, as well as actors’ willingness to perform their own stunts. Luckily, all the leads on the Pirates films have being willing and able.

How does working in or on water complicate what you do?

Wind, rain, waves and tides can turn a good plan into a disaster! On this film we had hurricane evacuations and some very rough seas. When we had a rolling swell, the ships would sway wildly – the masts would go backwards and forwards as much as 40 feet. During what we called the Scuttled Ship sequence the crew had to find space on the partially submerged end of the ship and most of us were knee high in sea water and had a hard time standing up in the swell. By the end of the night the seas had worsened, everyone’s rain gear was wet through, we were frozen to the bone and our feet were pickled from being in the salt water.

Q. How do you think the Pirates films sit in relation to the rest of the films you have worked on? The most interesting? The most challenging? The most enjoyable?

It’s an interesting question and one I should probably answer when we complete the third film! To put it in perspective, when the Pirates’ trilogy is complete, I will have spent over three years of my professional life devoted to its well-being and success. For all of us who committed from the beginning and persevered to the end, it’s without a doubt a significant piece of our lives and a professional milestone. Has it been interesting? Definitely. Challenging? Enormously. The most enjoyable? Certainly not! [laughs]. But the question you didn’t ask is, Has it been worthwhile? And there’s no doubt about that. I think all of the trench warriors of the Pirates cast and crew have been through so many emotions and had so many varied experiences making these films, but the finished films are the ultimate reward.

Keira Knightley talks: It really is like we never finished doing the first one.

Filed under Interviews by on April 26, 2011 at 6:23 am {no comments}

Keira Knightley Interview

If Keira Knightley sometimes feels that she’s been on the high seas, filming Pirates of the Caribbean, for a long, long time, it’s easy to understand. Because she has.

Keira Knightley, along with the all-star line up from the first, hugely successful Pirates film, The Curse of the Black Pearl, have reunited with director Gore Verbinski to make Pirates 2, Dead Man’s Chest, out this summer, and Pirates 3, which we’ll see next year, virtually back to back.

“It felt like the last two years had never happened and we’ve been working on Pirates the entire time,” she notes. Not that she’s complaining. “We have got these fantastic sets, it’s pretty much exactly the same crew with a couple of additions, the same cast, same director, same writers, same producers obviously, so it really is like we never finished doing the first one and we have just continued.”

The first film, released in 2003, was a critical and box office triumph which starred Johnny Depp as lovable rogue Jack Sparrow, the colourful pirate who rescues the beautiful governor’s daughter, Elizabeth Swann – played by Keira – from the villainous Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and his cohorts. Add a dash of romance, provided by Orlando Bloom as Elizabeth’s love, Will Turner, and the result was a funny, superbly paced action thriller which entertained young and old alike.

Today, in an interview during a break on set at the Universal Studios in Hollywood, Keira is in Pirates 3 mode. Tomorrow, or the next day, it’s back to Pirates 2. Doesn’t it get confusing?

“Hugely, yes,” she laughs. “It is a bit weird at the moment coming to the end of the number three chunk to suddenly try and get your head back in to number two. So in a funny kind of way it seems like one big long film as opposed to two separate films, which I suppose is a good thing, but it is a little strange.”

Keira is sworn to secrecy to keep a good deal of the story under wraps but she’s convinced that Pirates 2 – and indeed 3 – is looking in fantastic shape. “The look of it is really cool and it seems to have evolved in a kind of natural way for it,” she says.

At just 21 years old, Knightley has established herself as one of the leading actresses working in Hollywood. She was born and raised on the outskirts of London, the daughter of actor Will Knightley and playwright Sharman Macdonald.

After roles on British television, Knightley won international acclaim for her role in Bend It Like Beckham. She also starred in Richard Curtis’s romantic comedy, Love Actually, played Guinevere in King Arthur and starred opposite Adrien Brody in The Jacket. She was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Pride and Prejudice and played a bounty hunter in Domino.

How is working on Pirates 2 and 3 compared to the first film?

It has been really weird actually because I can’t even remember where we started. I guess we started in February and it felt like the last two years had never happened and we have been working on Pirates of the Caribbean the entire time. (laughs) But it has been great. It’s a long haul, as I said, we started in February, we had about a month and a half on hiatus and then we are shooting until February or March (2006), so it is a big one. I have never done anything as long which makes it different, but the guys are great and it is pretty much all the same people and it’s nice, it’s good fun.

Have you kind of picked up where you left off from the first one?

Yes, pretty much. We have got theses fantastic sets, it’s pretty much exactly the same crew with a couple of additions, the same cast, same director, same writers, same producers obviously, so it really is like we never finished doing the first one and we have just continued.

What are you allowed to tell us a about what happens in Pirates two?

I don’t know! Absolutely nothing probably (laughs) I have two swords, that is all I am saying. It’s great. It’s just more really, maybe a little bit darker and we have some really fantastic fight scenes.

Have you done much training for the role?

We are doing a big fight scene in the (studio) at the moment which is one of the reasons why I am not working because it takes so bloody long (laughs) But yeah we have done a lot of that and it was good, I did a couple of weeks training at the beginning of filming but the stunt guys are great and again they were the same guys as on the first one so I had worked with them before. And I think we all picked it up pretty quick so it was just really good.

Did you insist on the fight scenes being put in the script?

I wouldn’t say insist, no, I don’t think you can insist on anything, but I did ask, yeah. I mean on the first one they kept asking what I wanted for my character and I kept on saying `I want a sword.’ and I never got one so in this one they gave me two, so I am very lucky (laughs).

What sort of costumes do you wear in this one? Are you back in the corsets?

Well we are doing Pirates 3 at the moment so I am in a kind of oriental type vibe thing with shorts – it’s the first time I have got legs out and it’s terrifying (laughs). Actually I am really glad, it’s so hot in there it is unbelievable, and everybody else has got their proper pirate stuff on and I am a little less dressed than everyone else and I am very glad, so that’s good. The rest of the time I’ve got kind of the Pirate look instead of the corset.

And do you prefer that rather than being strapped in?

I quite like corsets actually; it kind of gives you a character. You feel so ladylike but I kind of feel a little bit more like me now because I am in sort of boy’s attire. I am giving far too much away (laughs). Both are good.

You are shooting Pirates 2 and 3 at the same time. Isn’t that confusing?

Hugely, yes.

Can you tell us just a little bit about that?

Well before the hiatus we were really only doing number two. In fact I didn’t do anything for three so that was great. We are now doing three at the moment and for the next couple of days and then we’re swapping back to two. So it does get a bit confusing and trying to talk about it here and trying to separate both of them is even more confusing. But we have been doing it in chunks, it’s not like we have been doing one day on two, one day on three. Like the last three weeks we have been on number three and then the next month as soon as we get to the Bahamas we will be on number two and then we will go back to number three. So it hasn’t been too bad. But it is a bit weird at the moment coming to the end of the number three chunk to suddenly try and get your head back in to number two. So in a funny kind of way it seems like one big long film as opposed to two separate films, which I suppose is a good thing, but it is a little strange.

Do you enjoy the time you film in the Caribbean or do you prefer being here in LA?

I prefer being here in LA. We go to some very beautiful places and we go to some not so beautiful places, I think you do end up getting island fever and especially if you are going to touristy islands. They are great for a couple of weeks and you go `oh look there’s the beach, this is lovely.’ And then you go `OK, what else? I’ve done the beach, I’ve done the sea, I have read all my books, I can’t do anything else!’ So it gets a bit difficult but in saying that it is beautiful and there are definitely much worse places. But I’m enjoying being in LA – I am a city girl so I like cities.

Does your mum come out here with you?

She is out here with me at the moment.

Does she manage your career?

No she has never done that since I started actually. She’s a writer, so she writes. She really is only there to hand me a cup of coffee occasionally. And be a Mum (laughs) and tell me off!

You must be pleased with the critical reaction to Pride and Prejudice because it’s had some great reviews?

Has it? Good. I haven’t seen any of that. If I believed the good stuff, I would have to believe the bad stuff as well and neither of it is very helpful for me. But that’s good, that’s great to know. I like it. All the experiences that I have had so far have been absolutely amazing. And it is lovely to come back on to Pirates, with a film that is already established because there’s so much kind of excitement around it. But equally it is great to do things that are really a complete risk and you don’t know what the outcome is going to be.

A lot has happened in your career since the first Pirates film.

Yeah, I’ve got a bigger trailer! (laughs). That says a lot doesn’t it.

But does it feel like things have changed?

We made it in 2003 and yes stuff has changed. I mean I have been working non-stop for one thing, so that’s changed. But to tell you the truth the banter on set is exactly the same, so that hasn’t changed. You are working with the same people and it doesn’t matter if you have done a lot of films in between or not, they are going to treat you the same as they did. And know, that’s cool, that’s the way it should be. So the work hasn’t changed but the trailer has (laughs).

Do you have a personal assistant these days?

I do, he is over there.

You said in the past you didn’t want to get one because you are old enough to handle life yourself.

No I said I didn’t want to get one because I wasn’t old enough to handle my life and I wanted to learn how to. The answer to that is that I only have him when I am working. I don’t have him when I am not working, but it gets to the point if you are working back to back and you don’t have any days off. I have bought a flat, I have done stuff, I have got movies coming out at the moment, I can’t be on the phone all the time trying to co-ordinate everything and be doing my job in there. So I have got somebody who can co-ordinate stuff and so I don’t have to think about that he can just say `right go in this direction…

But how do you keep in touch with real life if you are making movies all the time?

This is my real life. I don’t know what’s going on in your real life, I am sorry, but yes, I know what’s going on in mine.

Real life, meaning like what’s happening in politics, in the world.

Yes, some of it. I read newspapers if that’s what you mean, I don’t watch television, but yes, I think so. I have been waiting around in my trailer for hours so I have got to do something.

What else did you do when you had time off in The Bahamas?

I read a good biography on Lucrezia Borgia, I read a good book Hitler’s Bunker. I read a lot of scripts.

How do you choose a film?

I don’t know, it’s just whatever catches my fancy. If it is a film I think I would want to see and then that’s kind of a good way to judge it. And if you meet the director and you like them then that’s even a better way to judge it. But it just depends. I don’t pick it by genre, if I read a good comedy and I go `oh yeah, I’d really like to be a part of that..’ but equally it could be a drama. I don’t really have a plan; it’s just what jumps out at me.

Is there a sense that because the first Pirates was such a big hit that you have to match it or better it this time?

For me personally, no. I mean I think there is a certain amount of pressure because it was so loved and you kind of want to make it as good as you possibly can. But I think that is really the same with any film. What’s nice is the level of excitement around Pirates is huge and normally there isn’t that bigger level of excitement around anything you do until it comes out. But it’s quite nice to be in something where people go `so come on, what’s going to happen? Tell us what’s going to happen?’

But has the next installment lived up to your own expectations?

So far yes, absolutely. These are the sort of films where you read it on the page and you can’t imagine what it is going to be like on the screen. I mean it was like the first one, none of us knew what it was going to be like. And in a funny kind of way it really is exactly the same because with this. I can say `yeah it was a great script..’ But I can’t imagine what the finished product will be like. I think it is going to be great. I mean from what I have done, I haven’t seen anything, but from what I have done it seems cool, the look of it is really cool and it seems to have evolved in a kind of natural way for it,. There are so many pirate stories, you know, you are bound to find a good one! (laughs) So it’s a really exciting but I don’t know what it will be like.

Any plans for after Pirates has finished?

I cannot imagine finishing this. I just can’t. I mean I don’t think we are even half way through yet, well just half way, so no. I’ve started to read a couple of scripts, but I can’t get my head around them yet. So no, no clue.

Do you plan or do you think about doing it more serious roles like Domino?

I didn’t think Domino is that serious a drama, really. I think the whole point of acting is to change as much as possible, if you are not changing then I don’t think it would be fun. So yeah, of course I would want to change. If it is a drama or if it is comedy, I don’t know, but hopefully all of them, I’m a film fan so I like all genres. Apart from horror because I am scared of it, so I don’t imagine myself doing a horror film. But apart from that I like all of it, so who knows?

What’s it like acting alongside Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom?

It’s amazing, I mean, they are very beautiful. (laughs) Yes it is very easy on the eye. And they are really great as well, they are lovely and watching Johnny work, you know it’s masterful really, it’s taking an acting master class, so that’s always enjoyable. And Orlando I have known for a very long time. We used to go up to things in London together so it’s really nice you know to spend time with him as well. He’s my mate, which is nice.

Rolling Stone Interview: Johnny Depp The Last Buccaneer

Filed under Interviews by on April 26, 2011 at 5:45 am {no comments}

Johnny Depp - Rolling Stone InterviewOn the path to Hollywood glory, Johnny Depp veered off course. So how did he tame his wild ways to become one of the world’s most bankable leading men?

On a recent summer afternoon, Johnny Depp walks into a luxury suite at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. Oddly, he is dressed like a pirate. A faded paisley do-rag is tied around his head. Smaller strips of cloth are braided into his hair, and he has gold caps on several teeth. His loose white T-shirt, with its blue horizontal stripes, may be more sailor than pirate, but it’s definitely in the nautical family.

We should note that Depp has not come directly from the set of his latest film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, where he will reprise the role of flamboyant pirate captain Jack Sparrow. Nor has he come from the cover shoot for this magazine. When I mention this fact to Gore Verbinski, the director of both Pirates movies and a third installment already in the works, he professes no surprise. “That’s the Johnny I know,” Verbinski tells me. “He’s always half-Jack.” Depp says, “With all of my characters, it’s just depressing to leave them. With Captain Jack, when we finished shooting the first movie, I had a feeling I’d see him again. I didn’t feel like I was saying goodbye. By the end of the third movie, I’m sure that’s going to be a different story. But it’s always really hard.”

At forty-three, Depp seems little changed by time. His face remains boyish. And he still appears uncomfortable in the spotlight. He speaks in a low voice, and even when he laughs, and his eyes light up in a manner suggesting a love of mischief, his tone remains cautious, his body language reserved.

Depp never wanted to be a movie star. Acting gigs, early on, were just day jobs, taken for rent money, while he tried to get a deal for his band. Depp’s looks make his success in Hollywood seem inevitable. Yet there was no obvious predictor for Depp to enjoy the specific type of success he’s pulled off. It’s a great story: Former teen idol rebels against the Hollywood star system and transforms himself into one of the most daring and eccentric screen actors of his generation.

Early on, it seemed as if Depp had a knack for picking smart, offbeat projects. For his first major starring role, in the 1990 John Waters juvenile-delinquent spoof Cry-Baby, Depp mocked his heartthrob status by playing an over-the-top version of one. Since then, he has generally played outsiders: Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Hunter S. Thompson alter ego Raoul Duke.

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