Javier Bardem enters the Pirates of the Caribbean universe as Captain Salazar — the ghost of a pirate hunter — who faces off against old nemesis Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp.
Were you familiar with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise?
Yes, I was familiar with the franchise. I was on the set of On Stranger Tides (2011), and I also watched all the films. I felt honoured to be part of it. My wife, Penelope Cruz, was in On Stranger Tides and I was very happy to be part of the group because I saw them working on the movie and I thought they did a great job. So I knew it was going to be a great experience.
Tell us about Captain Salazar. When you read the script, did you immediately have an idea of how you wanted to play him?
Not really. I think we — Jerry Bruckheimer (producer) and (directors) Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg and also Jeff Nathanson, the screenwriter — talked about it and had different ideas, but at the end we made it happen on set. I had some ideas and some images based on what they were saying about the character in the script, like when Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) speaks about him, and Carina (Kaya Scodelario), too, and based on that I had some images of a wounded bull, full of rage and with a strong need of revenge. But we also had to find the humour in it.
What was it like working with Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush?
The character that I have the most interaction with is Barbossa. Working with Geoffrey Rush is always a pleasure and an honour. I still remember the first day I saw Shine in the movie theatre. I was blown away. He’s a very committed, detailed actor who wants to do everything with perfection.
With Johnny, I had a few scenes, a few moments, but I had a chance to meet him a long time ago, and it feels like it was yesterday, so it’s very easy. Johnny is a great guy. You just go there and they say “Action” and he’s always ready. For me it was difficult to not just be a spectator, watching what he does because he does it so well. He controls the character that he’s playing so much.
How did Captain Salazar become a ghost and who is he searching for in the film?
The backstory of Captain Salazar is that he was a Spanish captain, commanding a big flotilla of Spanish ships. He had a personal backstory with his father and mother that made him very opposed to pirates. He met Jack Sparrow when he was 12, and was defeated by him, so his anger against pirates built even bigger. Salazar dies but wants to come back, and he needs to come back to life through revenge, through finding Jack Sparrow and breaking the curse that he created in him. It’s a story about personal revenge.
What do you think fans and audiences should look forward to in this film?
I think they know what they’re looking for and it’s going to be given to them, which is joy and fun and entertainment of the highest quality. It’s not only in the sense of visual and special effects, but also the fun of seeing Jack Sparrow doing his thing again. But there are also very interesting characters in the plot. There are new characters that are going to bring new flavour, new meaning, a different dimension to what it’s been so far, which has been one of the best, most powerful franchises of all time. It’s alive and it has its own beat, and I think people are going to really enjoy it.
Has playing Salazar been a challenge for you?
It is a new challenge and that was, for sure, one of the things that attracted me as an actor to play the part. There is a point in the story where I can relate to him. I can understand his mentality. I like to escape as much as I can from a black and white characterisation. Of course he’s a villain, but also we can find empathy for him. We can find a way of being in character that people can relate to in one way or the other. And that’s the challenge.
That was the fun part and that’s where Jerry Bruckheimer, Disney, the directors, the screenwriter and I all became part of the same challenge. It’s rewarding as an actor that in a movie this big, you have room to bring your ideas and your proposals.
How long did it take for you to “look” the part?
It’s pretty amazing what they’ve done with the make-up. It’s outstanding. It took two to three hours in the make-up chair every day. Once it’s on, it really helps you to get in the mood. But also, it doesn’t kill your expression. My greatest fear was that I would not be able to show emotion or feeling with the prosthetics on my face, but that was not the case. I could do that, which is where you see the quality of those make-up artists.
The quality and the quantity of detail on the clothes are fantastic. You get on a pirate ship and you see all these people dressed as pirates. You can get close to them and find the details that may not even be seen on screen. It triggers your imagination. It’s really amazing the work that so many people do here in order to bring reality into it. The first time I saw my costume, I was amazed by Captain Salazar’s look. I like the way he dresses because that’s the way he should dress. It’s like he’s always kind of proclaiming himself a king, so that’s the way he should look.
Did you do a lot of training?
I’m a great believer in stuntmen. I think the stuntmen are stuntmen because they do things better and make everybody safe. Still I try to do what I can, but if there is any doubt, I will call the stuntman. I did do sword fighting and rehearsed with Thomas (Robinson Harper, stunt coordinator). It was fun. Every kid would like to to have a pirate sword and fight with some fellows. And here, they pay you for that!
HE’S RUTHLESS. HE’S A DIRTY FIGHTER — GEOFFREY RUSH RETURNS TO PLAY BARBOSSA
What do you like so much about the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise to want to come back a fifth time?
We started filming the first Pirates of the Caribbean film (The Curse of the Black Pearl) in September 2002, so we were nudging 13 years, during the shooting of this one, of being a kind of extended family. I haven’t tired of it because every time they send the next script, Barbossa seems to morph or transform his character. In Pirates 3 (At World’s End), he suddenly became the head of the nine pirate Lords and he became a kind of diplomat, more of a politician. Everyone thought he was dead, of course, after the first one, and then by a bit of voodoo or movie magic he managed to come back and make a final curtain entrance.
In Dead Men Tell No Tales, they’ve given him a whole new dimension, so it’s always felt very fresh in new ideas for me to take him in a different direction.
Why do you like playing Barbossa?
The appeal was finding something inside here or there that was so far away from my own personality because he’s a ruthless old bastard. And also, just being a villain in a big film as an actor was different to being a speech therapist or whatever else I’ve done.
Do you see anything new in the approach to this one?
With the directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, I think it was fantastic of (producer) Jerry Bruckheimer to keep the franchise experimental on some level and to get those two Norwegian indie boys in. I thought it was a very bold move and it’s been a very rewarding one.
Having a northern European mindset has brought a different angle on the comedy. When I first met them, they were talking about how they wanted to just reinvigorate the nature of the storytelling and find the humour and play the action adventure, and keep it sharp, and also deal with a whole host of new characters that have come on board.
What is the feeling like when you all come back?
There’s definitely a shorthand re-teaming with Johnny (Depp). When you regularly work with the same team, you develop a comfort zone and there’s a deeper trust, a deeper sense of daring and the ensemble sense of humour sharpens up. In the nature of this story, without giving away too many spoilers, fortunes have changed for both these characters. Jack’s pretty much gone down the toilet. He’s hit misfortune. Whereas Barbossa has risen very much to the top of the tree… so there’s an interesting new dynamic to play with there.
Is there a different arc for Barbossa here?
As an actor, I like to see how many adjectives I can use to describe Barbossa, so I can get a nice texture and dimension to the nature of his personality. He’s ruthless. He’s bombastic. He’s narcissistic. He’s pretty cunning with his manipulative use of language. For his age, he’s still a frightening swordsman. He’s a dirty fighter. But for the first time, in this film, there’s an event that happens where there’s a surprise sense of vulnerability. It’s the first time I’ve experienced having to play Barbossa being seriously caught off balance. He’ll need to go into therapy to get himself back on track.
When you read that in the script, was that an exciting element for you to play within this series?
Yes, that was an exciting element because he tends to be a proactive character rather than a reactive character. He’s no fool. I would like to think he’s as cunning and as bright as Jack is. I think Jack’s more likeable, but they’re two sides of the same coin really. They lead very individual lives and they’re both great survivors. Barbossa’s way of achieving that is dirty and Jack’s is generally quite honourable.
Have you done anything physical in this, any sword fighting or stunts?
Yes. It wouldn’t be a pirate film without quite a few sword fights. I’m engaged in a pretty big fight. There are probably 80 to 100 pirates fighting on two ships. The two ships come alongside each other and the fight shifts across cannons and there’s a really brilliant sequence where Salazar (Javier Bardem) and Jack Sparrow fight only on the cannons. That’s the last thing I’d really want to have to do, but Barbossa’s in there and he hasn’t lost his cutlass mojo.
Do you enjoy working on films of this scale?
I don’t think one ever gets blase about the epic nature of it. Every day when I go on set and I see the scale, I go, ‘This is big’. But that changes if I’m suddenly in among all of that, but I’m doing a two-and-a-half page dialogue character conflict with a great actor like Javier Bardem. Then it doesn’t feel so big. The rest all disappears a little bit.
Why do audiences love these films?
The fan base for the film is strong. It’s a different genre being set in a slightly fantastical 18th century world of piracy. There’s something about how pirates never go out of fashion. If you think of all the famous pirates, whether it’s Captain Hook or Long John Silver or whatever, even when they’re not in the immediacy of pop culture, kids still dress up as a pirate when they go to a fancy dress party.
So I think that people like to say to themselves, ‘Imagine if I just let loose and be like Jack Sparrow, just adventure my way through life and take it as it comes and get out of scrapes and have ups and downs, but kind of run my own show; know my own self’. I think that goes on in the audiences minds a bit. From some of the mail I get, I know there are a few Barbossa fans out there too and some of them even think he’s sexy. I don’t understand that, but it’s nice.
