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In search of pirate treasure

By Chris Betros

From left: Bill Nighy, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Chow Yun-fat,

TOKYO — Johnny Depp couldn’t help but be amused when 2,500 fans greeted him at Narita airport, many dressed as pirates and addressing him as Capt Jack Sparrow, his character in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy. It’s a familiar scene each time he comes to Tokyo. Co-star Bill Nighy, who plays the squid-faced Davy Jones, was even more amused when a nervous Japanese reporter addressed her question to him as “Davy Jones-san” at their Tokyo news conference.

The third film in the series, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” is set to conquer the box office worldwide, especially in Japan where it is already doing well with merchandising tie-ups in products ranging from toys to chili sauce. Helping launch the film in Japan were Depp, Nighy, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Chow Yun-fat, director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

After 5 1/2 years working together, the camaraderie was evident, as was the sadness that there would probably not be a fourth film. “It’s hard to say goodbye to Capt Jack. He will always be a part of me,” said Depp, 43. He said it had been a interesting experience, especially early on “when I was getting slapped around by the Disney people” in reference to the way he portrayed Sparrow. Studio bosses couldn’t figure out whether Sparrow was gay, drunk or both.

“At World’s End” sees Will Turner (Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) allied with Captain Barbossa (Rush) to free Sparrow from Davy Jones’ locker. Their quest takes them to a sort of G-8 summit of pirates in Asia before heading to the end of the world and a terrific maelstrom that took 16 weeks to film.

Rolling Stones singer Keith Richards makes a long-awaited appearance as Sparrow’s father. “When you film at sea, nothing stays put,” said Verbinski. “When we got back to land, I thought we'd be on firm ground, but then Keith Richards showed up and he never stays put either. Keith would wander out of the frame, pick up something and sniff it.”

Rush, 55, makes a welcome return to the series. “I thought I was dead at the end of the first film, so this time, every scene I was in was my favorite, even when I am out of focus in the background,” he joked. But the most jokes were reserved for Nighy, 57, and how his character would make good sashimi and calamari.

“Actually, Davy Jones has been getting a lot of fan mail,” Nighy pointed out. “Apparently, there are some lonely women who wish he’d come around. Although his main responsibility in the films is to put the fear of God into everybody, in Part 3 you get to see why he is so angry and damaged.” Though Davy Jones is computer generated, Nighy said he had to wear pajamas with white bubbles, a skull cap with a white bubble on the top, and white spots all over his face. “I looked like a sad clown,” he said.

Depp said he enjoyed the swashbuckling much more this time because he didn’t have to practice much. “The first time we were serious about it and trained for months. In 2 and 3, we just did the moves about a week before. The brilliant stunt team did the majority of the work. I still get to show my skills at home when I have swordfights with my son. A little bit of the Sparrow character slips out and he says to me: ‘C’mon dad, not him again. Can’t you do something new?’” said Depp, who will next be seen as a murderous barber in Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd.”

May 28, 2007

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In search of pirate treasure
amole   (May 30 2007 - 14:43)	Rate | Report

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