THE most famous pirate in the Caribbean is back in another swashbuckling tale of action, drama and the search for treasure. This time the treasure is the mysterious Fountain of Youth and Captain Jack Sparrow is up against the infamous and fearsome pirate Blackbeard in the hunt for it. Johnny Depp tells us more…

Did you always want to play Jack Sparrow again?

The idea of a fourth one after finishing Pirates 3 was somewhere in the back
of my head. When you’re done playing Captain Jack there’s a real decompression getting out of that skin because I like being in that skin. There’s a great comfort
in playing Captain Jack, because you have a licence to be completely irreverent and absolutely abstract in all situations. I know him so well that it just comes naturally. It’s a great honour. 

You’ve been playing him a long time – are there any similarities between you?

With every character you play, there’s a part of you that goes into that, in terms of the ingredients of making this stew. There’s most definitely a part of me in Captain Jack and now, fortunately, or unfortunately, there’s a great part of Captain Jack in
me as well. Basically, I can’t shake it. He won’t leave me alone. He just sort of keeps showing up at odd times. In fact, he arrived this morning when I was getting my kids ready for school. I had to shoo him away! 

What did you think when you read the story for On Stranger Tides?

I was really happy with the work that Ted and Terry did on the screenplay.
It was like the gates were reopened and it was all fresh. It really felt closer in spirit to the first film, getting from Point A to Point D to Point Z without too many subplots and complications. 

There’s an incredible escape sequence set in London. What was that like to film?

It was horrible. It was gruelling! No, I mean, it’s a very strange little sequence. Jumping onto people’s heads and jumping onto carts and then the thing catches fire, and it’s all like a bad dream, isn’t it?

For the first time Captain Jack has a love interest in this film, played by Penelope Cruz!

Yes, it’s kind of a fevered love which is also beyond hatred. I was very, very excited to have Penelope come into this film. I knew that she would not only be a worthy opponent but someone who could just kill the scenes and she did.  

Penelope actually plays the daughter of the fearsome pirate Blackbeard. Tell us a bit about him.

The beauty of the character of Blackbeard is that on the surface he seems to be a rational man. But, then, the more you get to him, the more you realise he’s a stone cold killer without an ounce of heart. He would cheat anyone and everyone to get to his objective, which is what makes him so dangerous. And I don’t think there’s a better choice than Ian McShane to play him. 

Jack’s old enemy, Barbossa, is back too!

Even when Captain Jack and Barbossa are on the same side, they’re always on opposite sides somehow. I always feel like these two characters bicker like a couple of old housewives, just picking each other apart by the tiniest little morsel and detail. That’s how Geoffrey and I have approached it from day one, and he’s most definitely a worthy opponent. Geoffrey is a fantastic actor, who’s constantly investigating the possibilities of a scene. It’s always fresh, always new with Geoffrey.

Another recurring character is Captain Jack’s father, played by rock star Keith Richards!

After having Keith on the third film, I knew he had to come back. The global reaction to Keith’s presence as Captain Teague was monumental. Keith was more than ready to come back, as long as it made sense in the context of the story. He’s a fascinating man. I’ve known him a long time and to get periods like that where it’s just him and me hanging out, sitting around in the trailer yakking about music, movies, whatever, was a real pleasure. 

Can you see yourself playing Captain Jack Sparrow again?

Yes, I think they could wheel me in! Interestingly enough, for me, a character like Captain Jack you feel like you could just continue. The possibilities are endless, limitless – there’s any possibility of madness and absurdity that could commence. So you feel with this character you feel you’re never really done. 

Next you’ll be working on The Lone Ranger. Can you tell us a bit about it?

I couldn’t say you could compare it to Pirates but I suppose tonally there’s a relationship because there is a kind of fascination with the absurd that’s involved in The Lone Ranger. 

The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is in cinemas now.