While some actors carry serious weight as movie stars, there are some who have developed iconic characters that debatably outweigh them. One arguable example of this case is Johnny Depp, who has been playing Captain Jack Sparrow for nearly 15 years, and has become identifiable with the role around the world. Certainly supporting this idea is the experience that Kaya Scodelario had on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, as she found herself not only star-struck acting opposite Captain Jack, but also delighted watching him perform the same scene in 50 different ways on set.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kaya Scodelario at the Los Angeles press day for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales last week, and our conversation turned at one point to her experience acting in scenes with the franchise's most famous character. She related that meeting Johnny Depp brought its own anxiety to the table, but that she was mostly unprepared for what it would be like to work with him on the first day. Said the actress,
The first scene was just the two of us, which was very daunting. I was super nervous about it. I had met Johnny beforehand, and I think that helped. I kinda got over that whole thing. But then when he came out dressed as Jack Sparrow nothing can prepare you for that. You absolutely lose all chill. I was more star-struck by Jack Sparrow than I was by Johnny Depp... It took so many takes because I kept laughing, and I was supposed to be very serious in the scene. And he improvises a ton! We only ever get to see the finished, what they've chosen. But I got to see 50 other takes of him just saying absolute nonsense -- which was very, very funny.
In the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean adventure, Kaya Scodelario plays Carina Smyth -- a young astronomer who has been accused of being a witch and starts the film being imprisoned and sentenced to death. After managing to escape, she first runs into Captain Jack Sparrow and then allies with Brenton Thwaites' Henry Turner -- with all three of them aiming to find the Trident of Poseidon and break every curse on the sea. Being a logical character with a scientific mind, Carina isn't exactly the comic relief in the movie, but that further highlights Scodelario's complication as she kept breaking into laughter while on set with Johnny Depp.
You can watch Kaya Scodelario talk about her experience acting opposite Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales by clicking play in the video below!
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales sails into theaters this Friday, with stars Kaya Scodelario, Johnny Depp and Brenton Thwaites joined on the big screen by Geoffrey Rush and Javier Bardem. Stay tuned for more about the film here on CinemaBlend, and look out for more of my interviews with the cast and directors!
