Thursday, August 24, 2006

Rum, sodomy and Johnny Depp

The Greatest Actor Of His Generation, known to some as Johnny Depp, is on the cover of the current Rolling Stone. It is a good interview.

Since Johnny Depp, for no good reason as this interview points out, decided to star in a Disney film that everyone (including Disney) had written off as bound to fail, and stole an entire film (most merely good actors are content with stealing a scene) everyone is beginning to recognise how great he is.

Not surprising, seeing as he took what was clearly meant to be a side character to provide a bit of comic relief, with a clichéd love story the main game, and created one of the most dominant and brilliant performances in a long time. So brilliant he managed, in a Disney film, to make the love story secondary and a side attraction at best. And the main character a sexually ambiguous drunkard.

Anyhow this is my favourite bit from the interview:

When people talk about your portrayal of Jack Sparrow, they generally mention Keith [Richards] but also point out a certain gay undercurrent

Well there was a great book I read [to prepare]… What was is called? Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition. A very interesting book. I like the idea of being ambiguous. of taking this character and making everything a little bit... questionable. Because women were thought to be bad luck on ships. And these pirates would go out for years at a time. S0 you know, there is the possibility that one thing might lead to another.

Could happen.

You’re lonely. You have an extra ration of rum. [shrugs] “Cabin boy!”

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1 comment:

  1. I should point out that I am a very religous man.

    And I firmly believe that if I live my life well and decently, I will come back.

    As a cabin boy.

    On a pirate ship captained by Johnny Depp.

    ReplyDelete