Character actor Johnny Depp has had a long career in film, with a number of truly iconic projects on his long resume. Recently he’s made countless headlines related to his legal battle with Amber Heard, despite the defamation verdict being announced a year ago. While both actors have been attempting to move on professionally, actor Brian Cox threw shade at Depp while explaining why he passed on Pirates of the Caribbean.
Brian Cox is known for voicing his opinion, sometimes jabbing other actors in the process. He critiqued Johnny Depp in his book, and that trend has continued with a new interview. While speaking with The Guardian about his long career, Cox reflected about some major roles he passed on. In addition to being given the chance to play Robert Baratheon in Season 1 of Game of Thrones, he also could have portrayed Jonathan Pryce’s role Governor Weatherby Swann in the Pirates movies. But he seemingly turned it down thanks to the character itself, as well as his opinion on Depp. As the Succession actor put it,
It would have been a moneyspinner but, of all the parts in the film, it was the most thankless. And Depp, personable though I’m sure he is, is so overblown – I mean Edward Scissorhands! Let’s face it, if you come on with hands like that and pale, scarred-face makeup, you don’t have to do anything. And he didn’t.
Well, that was honest. Clearly Brian Cox isn’t impressed with Johnny Depp’s talent as an actor, despite how successful many of his movies have been. Specifically he took aim at Depp’s role as Edward Scissorhands, saying that the make-up and costumes did most of the work.
Cox’s comments definitely show how unimpressed he is with what Depp brings to the screen, particularly in quirky roles like Edward Scissorhands. And it’s partly for this reason that he turned down a supporting role in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Although considering how long Disney’s franchise ran in theaters perhaps this worked out for the best.
As previously mentioned, the role of Wetherby Swann would end up going to Jonathan Pryce (who also had a stint on Game of Thrones). He’d end up playing that role for three different Pirates of the Caribbean movies, in addition to one video game. As for Johnny Depp, he played Captain Jack Sparrow for all five movies. Although there are talks about Disney moving forward with a new Pirates project without Depp. In response, some fans have started a petition to have him return as Jack Sparrow.
The Pirates franchise is streaming now with a Disney+ subscription, while Brian Cox recently celebrated the acclaimed final season of Succession. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
