Johnny Depp Tried and Tested 'Jack Sparrow' on His Kids After Disney Disapproved His Vision

When fans think of Pirates of the Caribbean, they immediately associate it with Jack Sparrow. The iconic character became Johnny Depp's alter ego and one of his finest performances, loved by the audience and satisfied the critics. However, initially, Disney was not too impressed with the portrayal of the character in the movie, and it collided with Depp's belief in it. 

Everyone's favorite, Jack Sparrow, almost didn't see the light of day after Disney disapproved of it. Amidst many backstories that have made headlines over the years, this particular one is special for a reason and contains Depp's now 24-year-old daughter, Lily-Rose Depp. 

The 60-year-old actor has proved his acting mettle over the years in movies like Edward Scissorhands, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. But, somehow, his legendary performance in Pirates of the Caribbean as Jack Sparrow stands out and is still unforgettable. 

The actor once shared the details of how he prepared for the role. He was engrossed in the process of giving birth to Jack Sparrow, exactly how he had envisioned it, and this resulted in his poor mental health. He also recalled in front of a fan when his daughter was fed up with his constant experimentations. She asked him to stop. 

In an interview with Collider, Depp revealed his vision for Captain Jack Sparrow didn't align with Disney's vision. The two were at loggerheads for some time until Depp proved his point. He said, "In the original screenplay, Captain Jack was written as a swashbuckler, a pirate who swings in, sort of fights a little bit, and then swings out, grabs a girl, and that's it."

Apparently, the actor couldn't associate with the writer's understanding of the pirate. He added, "I had different ideas for him [Jack Sparrow]. Once inside a sauna, he was inspired by a different version. "My sauna. I was looking at various aspects of the character, and I figured this guy has been on the high seas for the majority of his life and therefore has dealt with inescapable heat to the brain." 

He pushed himself to the extent of boiling inside the sauna to get into the head of Jack Sparrow. "So I cranked the sauna up to about 1000 degrees and sat in there as long as I could until it started to affect me mentally. It was very, very hot, as was my brain." 

In another interview with New York Post, Depp revealed he added more elements to the character from sources like Rolling Stone member Keith Richards and cartoon character Pepe Le Pew helped him form the "eccentric" pirate. More importantly, his kids played a huge role in shaping the true Jack Sparrow. 

Depp revealed, "I started out secretly testing characters on [my kids] to see what their reactions would be. With my daughter, we'd be playing Barbies, and I'd try out these voices on her, and she'd [just] say, stop." Things turned out to be in his favor after his kids approved of the pirate. 

"They came to see the movie, and I can tell by their reaction if I did alright. I haven't been fired from my kids," informed Depp. But the executives panicked at the improvisation of the character. Nevertheless, he was confident. 

"They were uncomfortable, and I put it to them that they were welcome to fire me or replace me if they wanted. I believed in what I'd built, I believed in the character wholeheartedly, and I felt I was onto something," Depp concluded.