Pirates of the Caribbean was one of the most lucrative franchises that Dinsey has produced, being the crown jewel of the Mouse empire in the 2000s. The most iconic part of the franchise, without a doubt, was Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow.

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise

Seeing the rise of PG-13 films in 2005, with the summer box office being dominated by the likes of X-2 and 2 Fast 2 Furious, execs over at Disney wanted to cast an ‘edgier’ actor to do Pirates of the Caribbean justice.

However, Depp ended up issuing an ultimatum to his producer when a certain character choice made by him caused Disney to second-guess his approach.

Johnny Depp worried Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer

Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow

Jerry Bruckheimer was the producer behind the Pirates of the Caribbean and its subsequent sequels, also producing films like Top Gun, National Treasure, and the upcoming Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

While initially not interested in the project, Bruckheimer eventually came around, promising the executives at Disney that he make the best film that he could, without causing the film to get an R rating.

Depp was cast in the role specifically because of the edgier quality that he brought to his roles, informing the audience that despite it being a Disney film, the target audiences were teenagers and adults, rather than the usual children.

However, Disney and Bruckheimer regretted casting Depp immediately, as the actor, in preparation for the role, got his front teeth capped with gold, putting all the parties with a finger in the pie to get a little uncomfortable with the casting. The actor said:

“Jerry was slightly uncomfortable and the Disney executives weren’t exactly enthusiastic about it”

Johnny Depp would, of course, stay on as Captain Jack Sparrow, but not before putting an ultimatum in place.