Captain Jack Flash

from SoulShine magazine...


Keith Richards Frees Inner Swashbuckler
Published: 2004-11-03

When it comes to the movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’, people just love to announce that lead actor Johnny Depp found his inspiration for character Captain Jack Sparrow by looking no further than rock legend Keith Richards. Just in case that piece of knowledge isn’t satisfying enough, it’s been confirmed that Disney has recruited Richards to appear in the sequels to the film in more than just spirit.

The Rolling Stones guitarist and sometimes vocalist has signed up to play Jack Sparrow’s father, er, Mr. Sparrow. Richards has reportedly already been for a costume fitting for the upcoming ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Treasures of the Lost Abyss’. Not only will the 60-year-old act in the second instalment of ‘Pirates’, but he’s also set to return for the third movie.

One of the last musicians to jump on the acting bandwagon, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Treasures of the Lost Abyss’ will be Keith Richard’s acting debut. Filming for the two movies, which is to occur simultaneously, is set to begin in February of next year. In addition to Richards and Depp, the cast of the ‘Pirates’ sequels will include Keira Knightly, Orlando Bloom, and Geoffrey Rush.

For those who somehow missed out on Depp’s now infamous quote (taken from a BBC interview), here it is: “I didn't want to do an imitation of Keith, or a character study, just a kind of salute to him, you know, to show him I appreciate him. I was thinking about the pirates of the 18th century, about how they were the rocks stars of their day. So I thought: Who's the greatest rock and roll star who ever lived? And to me, it's Keith Richards hands down. Keith is a bit of a pirate himself!”

Writer: Jaclyn Arndt