When Johnny Depp Turned Into Captain Jack Sparrow For His Fans on a Surprise Disneyland Visit

The Pirates of the Caribbean film series' Captain Jack Sparrow is Johnny Depp's most recognizable on-screen persona. In line with his fame, Depp is known for performing outrageous publicity stunts while acting. He shocked 'pirate riders' in Disneyland by dressing up as Captain Jack Sparrow in 2017 while promoting Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, at that time. Fans went ballistic when they saw Depp in person (as opposed to his animatronic) spouting dialogue from the popular movie series and entertaining them by flashing his sword at the Anaheim, California, theme park, according to Variety.

A few lucky fans posted the actual footage of Depp in character on their social media handles. @BaileyNielson had posted on X, "You know those little Disney Myths like...Johnny Depp will dress up as Jack Sparrow and sit in the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride. Well..." @GeminiMarie93 had tweeted, "Life is complete! Just saw Johnny Depp on Pirates of the Caribbean @Disneyland !! #PiratesoftheCaribbean.

At one point, Depp even left his ship behind to amuse visitors standing in line at the front. @justniinii had written on X after capturing the epic moment: "I seriously cannot believe I saw Johnny Depp at Disneyland tonight!! Best night ever!! #Disneyland #JohnnyDepp #PiratesoftheCaribbean."

The fifth installment of the popular movie franchise also stars Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley in their respective roles as Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann; they were last seen in 2007’s At World’s End. Other star cast members included Javier Bardem, Kaya Scodelario, Brenton Thwaites, Kevin McNally, and Geoffrey Rush. Depp received an Academy Award nomination for playing Captain Jack Sparrow in the 2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

As per People, he is open to playing the iconic role once again in the future. An insider had recently exclusively told the publication,  "I absolutely believe post-verdict that Pirates is primed for rebooting with Johnny as Capt. Jack is back on board. There is just too much potential box-office treasure for a beloved character deeply embedded in the Disney culture. With Jerry Bruckheimer riding high on the massive success of Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, there is a huge appetite for bringing back bankable Hollywood stars in massively popular franchises."

As per Fandomwire, in 2019, while appearing on the Zurich Film Festival Podcast, Depp was asked what "ignites his interest in a film script". He explained, “You wanna be surprised by something. You look for something that’s not necessarily based on something that’s all-together, formulaic. You look for a character that someone has painstakingly written and offered you to play. If I don’t try something that could be potentially disastrous, then I feel like I’m not doing enough of the work… I prefer it when the studios are scared.”