“You got arrested for something you could be branded”: Pirates Expert Exposes Everything Johnny Depp’s $4.5B Franchise Did Wrong

Pirates and their activities have always captivated the imagination of people all around the world.

Their unorthodox lifestyle and adventurous pursuits have been the subject of many films and shows.

One of the most popular franchises in Hollywood is the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, led by Johnny Depp.

These Films have done phenomenal business and have made stars attached to these projects big celebrities.

Recently, a pirate expert Iszi Lawrence gave her opinion on Depp‘s first Pirates movie.

She revealed that many aspects of the film were factually incorrect and a product of fantasy rather than reality.

However, having said all of these things, she did appreciate Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow.

Johnny Depp’s Award-winning Portrayal as Captain Jack Sparrow

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp is one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood.

The actor has been in the movie business for decades, and throughout his run as the leading star of American cinema, he has starred in dozens of mind-bending and blockbuster films.

Nevertheless, his career took an unfortunate turn after his brutal and highly-publicized divorce from his former wife, Amber Heard, but now the actor is back in his A-game.

During the premiere of his movie Jeanne Du Barry at the 76th Cannes Film Festival 2023, Depp received a standing ovation.

The Dead Man movie star has played many fascinating roles in his career.

However, his outstanding portrayal as Captain Jack Sparrow in the beloved Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has gained the legendary star immense love and praise from fans worldwide.

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow

The film series followed the adventures of the title character successfully depicted by Depp, who made his character debut starting with its original 2003 American fantasy swashbuckler flick Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and then reprised his role for the follow-up sequels.

Each installment in the franchise has earned millions of dollars at the box office and has received critical acclaim from top-level critics.

The 60-year-old star won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a leading category, plus he received an Oscar nomination in the Best Actor category for the titular project.

Pirates Expert On Johnny Depp-led Pirates of the Caribbean Movie

Iszi Lawrence and Johnny Depp

In an interview, the famous history presenter Iszi Lawrence rated Johnny Depp’s performance as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and shared her candid opinions on the historical accuracy of the film, she argued that many sequences were not accurate if compared to the real-life pirates. She said,

“Nobody was branded a pirate but, you know, whatever. People were branded. If you’re clergy and you got arrested for something you could be branded, but then you couldn’t plead clergy again. [Jack Sparrow’s] line here, ’But you have heard of me,’ is wonderful. That’s what you wanted as a pirate. You wanted your name to precede you so people would give up before fighting you.”

She then slammed the pirate codes being shown in the movie,

“Now this thing about pirate code and parley is pretty much nonsense. Yes, there are pirate codes, there are many pirate codes. Every pirate ship has its own code. Pirate code is real, but this sort of universal brethren of pirates where they all follow the same rules – is not real.”

Lawrence gushed about Depp’s performance in the movie, saying,

 “Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow as the sort of cool rock star is bang on because pirates were seen by the general populace as incredibly cool and sexy.”

Gore Verbinski-directed Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl became one of the highest-grossing films in 2003 and earned positive reviews from the audience and critics alike.

It grossed over $654.3 at the global box office, and the flick stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley.