That someone other than Johnny Depp should have played the cult character of Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean” is unthinkable today. And yet there were many Hollywood stars in the conversation at the time – including Jim Carrey.
Whether Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka or the Mad Hatter – Johnny Depp has embodied some iconic characters in cinema history. But none of his characters are as legendary as that of the pirate captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean series. The actor was even nominated for an Oscar for his performance.
Johnny Depp wasn’t even the first choice for the role! And when you look at the Sparrow contenders, it’s hard to believe that they actually came up for the iconic character. although many big Hollywood stars are among the possible candidates were.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Jim Carrey was prevented
Universal Pictures
Because of “Bruce Almighty” nothing came of Jim Carrey and “Pirates of the Caribbean”.
Hard to believe: But originally Jim Carrey should have played the main role in “Pirates of the Caribbean”! Until the first part of the series, which came out in 2003, the rubber face was more known for slapstick comedies, such as “Ace Ventura”, “The Mask” and “Dumb and Dumber”. With “The Truman Show” and “The Moon Man” the comedian slowly established himself as a serious actor, even winning a Golden Globe for both films.
“Pirates of the Caribbean” and Jack Sparrow came to nothing, among other things, because Jim Carrey already did busy shooting “Bruce Almighty”. was. Stupid for him, good for Depp. Carrey’s version would have been interesting though…
Hugh Jackman: Too unknown for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’
20th Century Fox
Hugh Jackman made his Hollywood breakthrough as Wolverine in “X-Men”.
Also highly rated for the role of Jack Sparrow was Hugh Jackman. The Australian blossomed in the early 2000s with his portrayal of the Marvel heroes Wolverine in “X-Men” slowly becoming a Hollywood star. Jackman was pro-Pirates of the Caribbean producers though still too unknown.
Things didn’t go badly for the actor after that either: More “X-Men” films followed and Jackman was nominated for an Oscar and awarded a Golden Globe for the musical “Les Misérables”.
Three Oscar winners were in talks for Jack Sparrow
Ascot Elite
Matthew McConaughey won an Oscar for his portrayal of a cowboy with AIDS in Dallas Buyers Club.
But that’s not all! There were too three Oscar winners for the lead role in “Pirates of the Caribbean”: Among them superstar Matthew McConaughey, who received an Academy Award in 2014 for “Dallas Buyers Club”. Also considered as Jack Sparrow were the Hollywood legends Robert De Niro (“The Godfather: Part 2”, “Raging Bull”) and Christopher Walken (“Going Through Hell”). In addition, there was a long rumor that ex-Batman Michael Keaton should have slipped into a pirate costume.
Steven Spielberg wanted to make Pirates of the Caribbean
Tristar/Columbia
Robin Williams (center) and Steven Spielberg already worked together on “Hook”.
Before “Pirates of the Caribbean” finally appeared in 2003, the adventure film went through production hell for a long time. As early as the 1990s, there were initial attempts to adapt the material, which is based on a ride at Disneyland, for the cinema. One of the interested parties at the time was director legend Steven Spielberg. He also had three actors in mind for the role of Jack Sparrow: either Bill Murray, Steve Martin or Robin Williams should play the pirate captain.
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