Johnny Depp claims he'd be happy to play Captain Jack Sparrow at kids' parties 'at this point'

Johnny Depp says he’d be happy to reprise his famous Pirates Of The Caribbean role, Captain Jack Sparrow, at children’s birthday parties ‘at this point’ if it means he could act in the role again, amid claims Hollywood is ‘boycotting him’ as his legal woes rumble on.

Depp first appeared in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise as the quirky seaman in 2003’s first film and was last seen in the role in 2017’s fourth sequel – appearing in all five movies of the series.

And speaking at the San Sebastian Film Festival this week, Depp, 58, said: ‘The beauty of Captain Jack Sparrow for me is that I can travel with Captain Jack in a box, literally Captain Jack in a box…

‘And when the opportunity is right I’m able to go and visit people and places where the smiles and the laughs and the things that are important, the most important things in the world, are on the line.

‘So I still travel with Captain Jack and if I have the opportunity, whenever I do, I will go to these places. I’ll go to somebody’s house – man, I’ll perform at your kid’s birthday party at this point!’

Depp appeared upbeat on Thursday as he emerged from his hotel at the festival after claiming his career has been harmed by the spread of cancel culture. 

The Hollywood star waved at fans while making his way towards a waiting car in the picturesque Spanish coastal city. 

Depp was the recipient of the Donostia Award on Wednesday evening at the event. 

The actor had previously claimed he is a victim of cancel culture, warning that ‘no one is safe’ and urging those affected to ‘stand up’ for themselves. 

Speaking in San Sebastián, before accepting his honorary award at the film festival, Depp said the situation had become ‘so out of hand.’ 

In July 2020 he lost a high-profile case at the High Court in London, after The Sun newspaper described him as a ‘wife beater’ and he sued. 

His ex-wife Amber Heard filed for divorce in 2016, accusing him of verbal and physical abuse, and she testified in London.

Depp lost his lucrative role in the Fantastic Beasts franchise in the aftermath of the case. 

Back in the U.S., Depp has recently won the right to proceed with a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard.  

Depp told the audience in Spain that he saw himself as a victim, and was concerned about the wider implications for society.

Ahead of taking to the stage to accept his award, Depp offered his thoughts on cancel culture, and called on people to ‘stand up’ for those facing ‘injustice.’

‘It can be seen as an event in history that lasted for however long it lasted, this cancel culture, this instant rush to judgement based on what essentially amounts to polluted air,’ he said, according to Deadline. 

‘It’s so far out of hand now that I can promise you that no one is safe. Not one of you. No one out that door. No one is safe.

‘It takes one sentence and there’s no more ground, the carpet has been pulled.’

Depp said that his concern was not just for himself.

‘It’s not just me that this has happened to, it’s happened to a lot of people,’ he said. 

‘This type of thing has happened to women, men.’

He said: ‘It doesn’t matter if a judgement, per se, has taken some artistic license. 

‘When there’s an injustice, whether it’s against you or someone you love, or someone you believe in – stand up, don’t sit down. Cause they need you.’ 

Depp was reported by Deadline to be happy to answer questions about the recent state of his career, amid his ongoing lawsuit against Heard.

But when a reporter asked about Spain’s Association of Female Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media, which released a statement saying the award ‘transmits a terrible message to the public’, a festival organizer stepped in and prevented him replying, insisting he would only speak about his career.

Depp later said that he was ‘worried’ that his presence at the festival would ‘offend people,’ and insisted he ‘didn’t want to offend anyone.’ 

He praised the event, its director Jose Luis Rebordinos, and the mayor of San Sebastian for their ‘undying support’.

He thanked them for ‘not buying what has been, for far too long, some notion of me that doesn’t exist’.

Depp added: ‘I haven’t done anything, I just make movies.’

Depp said that he was dismayed by the current state of the film industry, in particular how streaming had taken off.

He said many people – him included – realized they were disposable. 

‘Hollywood is certainly not what it was,’ he responded. 

‘The studio system, the grudge matches, the pandemonium and chaos of cinematic releases to streaming… it is a case of, ‘no matter what, I’m going to get mine’. 

‘That’s where these people are coming from.

‘They realize they’re just a disposable as I am. Some more so. 

‘Large, large corporations take control of these things. As someone who takes part in the creation of cinema, how much more formula do we need from the likes of studios? How much more condescension do we need as audiences? 

‘I think that Hollywood has grotesquely underestimated the audience.’ 

Depp was asked about the future of his Pirates of the Caribbean role of Captain Jack Sparrow, and said that the character would never leave him, and that no one could ever take the character away from him. 

He then delighted the crowd with an impromptu Captain Jack impression, Deadline reported. 

Despite the mixed reception to his arrival at the festival, Depp was in high spirits as he headed to the photo call ahead of his acceptance of the award. 

His appearance in Spain came a month after he was cleared by a court to proceed with the $50 million defamation suit against Heard.

In August, a Virginia judge ruled that he can proceed with the litigation, based on a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she wrote saying she was a domestic violence survivor.

She did not mention Depp in the story, though she publicly accused him of abusing her in their 2016 split. 

The actor is trying to clear his name after losing a defamation suit against The Sun.

His U.S. suit, filed in Fairfax County, Virginia, accuses Heard of creating a ‘hoax’ account of abuse.

Heard had requested the libel suit against her, filed in March 2019, be thrown out, claiming the ruling in the UK case should swing any new cases in her favor because they both relate to domestic abuse allegations against Depp.

But Judge Penny Azcarate ruled the statements made by The Sun and Heard were ‘inherently different’, and said the case should proceed. 

The ruling stated: ‘The Sun’s interests were based on whether the statements the newspaper published were false.

‘[Heard’s] interests relate to whether the statements she published were false.’

The ruling also noted that Depp filed the defamation suit against The Sun before Heard’s op-ed was published – and that she was not named in the case against the British paper.

In the December 2018 op-ed, the actress wrote: ‘I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.’

The UK’s High Court ruled against Depp following an explosive three-week trial last July, finding allegations the actor was a ‘wife beater’ were ‘substantially true.’

Lawyers for The Pirates of the Caribbean star had asked two Court of Appeal judges to grant permission for him to challenge the ruling, with the aim of having its findings overturned and a second trial ordered.

They claimed the judge in Depp’s initial libel trial had not ‘factually’ considered all the allegations of violence against him and that they had ‘fresh evidence’ Heard had ‘lied’ about giving her entire $7 million divorce settlement to charity.

They said that the charity claim influenced how her testimony was viewed, but the Court of Appeal ruled that it did not have an impact on the judge and that he would have reached the same conclusion on Heard being the victim of domestic violence.