Rum, sodomy and Johnny Depp

The Greatest Actor Of His Generation, known to some as Johnny Depp, is on the cover of the current Rolling Stone. It is a good interview.

Since Johnny Depp, for no good reason as this interview points out, decided to star in a Disney film that everyone (including Disney) had written off as bound to fail, and stole an entire film (most merely good actors are content with stealing a scene) everyone is beginning to recognise how great he is.

Not surprising, seeing as he took what was clearly meant to be a side character to provide a bit of comic relief, with a clichéd love story the main game, and created one of the most dominant and brilliant performances in a long time. So brilliant he managed, in a Disney film, to make the love story secondary and a side attraction at best. And the main character a sexually ambiguous drunkard.

Anyhow this is my favourite bit from the interview:

When people talk about your portrayal of Jack Sparrow, they generally mention Keith [Richards] but also point out a certain gay undercurrent

Well there was a great book I read [to prepare]… What was is called? Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition. A very interesting book. I like the idea of being ambiguous. of taking this character and making everything a little bit... questionable. Because women were thought to be bad luck on ships. And these pirates would go out for years at a time. S0 you know, there is the possibility that one thing might lead to another.

Could happen.

You’re lonely. You have an extra ration of rum. [shrugs] “Cabin boy!”

,