For more than a decade, Johnny Depp's main claim to fame has been playing Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and this summer's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales marked his fifth outing as the eccentric buccaneer. Well, in front of cameras, anyway. Over the years Depp has also donned his pirate get-up for special occasions, and most recently he stopped by a children's hospital to visit the young patients as the playful Jack Sparrow. Here's a sampling of how the visit went.
Fully in character before walking through the entrance of the BC Children's Hospital, Johnny Depp stopped by the medical institution to raise the spirits of those admitted there. Thankfully, Jack Sparrow refrained from his usual plundering during the visit, as he only wished to get the "lay of the land" with his "first mates." It sounds like Depp's appearance was a rousing success, as every patient was able to spend quality time with the visiting Sparrow, who was wise to leave his sword behind. As the BCCH Foundation said in a separate Instagram post:
Patients at BC Children's Hospital were delighted by a visit today with one of the world's most famous pirates, Captain Jack Sparrow. Actor Johnny Depp showed he has a heart of gold by spending more than 5 hours meeting one-on-one with every patient, from newborns to teens.
This isn't the first time Johnny Depp has appeared as Jack Sparrow at a hospital, and as long as the Pirates of the Caribbean film series continues, it probably won't be his last. Opinions will vary on the overall quality of the Disney film franchise, especially regarding the last two entries, but there's no denying that Jack Sparrow has become one of pop culture's most recognizable characters since Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl's release in 2003. If Depp can use that popularity for a good cause and help these kids have a bright moment in the midst of a lot of bad days, then it's worth donning the pirating attire for a couple hours. Depp hasn't limited his Jack Sparrow appearances to visiting young hospital patients, either. Back in late April, as part of the Dead Men Tell No Tales promotion, he posed as part of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.
Although Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was met with mixed-to-negative reviews earlier this summer, it's done well for itself commercially, ranking as the sixth highest grossing movie of 2017 with over $786 million worldwide. A sixth movie has been tossed around, but has not been officially greenlit yet. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for news about the future of the franchise, as well as if Johnny Depp pops back up as Jack Sparrow away from a movie set.
