American actor Johnny Depp re-enacted his popular character, Captain Jack Sparrow, for some fans who waited for him outside the Virginia courthouse where he is battling actress Amber Heard in a defamation case.
American actor Johnny Depp may have said that he would not reprise his iconic role as Captain Jack Sparrow in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ for "$300 million and a million alpacas," but he did briefly reprise the role. Fans were disappointed, however, because it was not on a film set. Depp briefly delighted fans by reverting to Captain Jack outside the Virginia courthouse, where he is currently fighting a multimillion-dollar defamation trial against ex-wife, actress Amber Heard.
Johnny can be seen exiting the courthouse in his SUV in a video posted by a fan on Twitter on Thursday. His car slows down as fans waiting outside the court wave and cheer at him, and he waves back, acknowledging their cheers from the window. Depp also expresses gratitude to the fans for their support during the trial, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
As a fan yells, "You'll always be Captain Jack Sparrow," Depp quickly channels his iconic character and responds, "He's still around somewhere, I've seen him now and then." As the audience applauds Depp's spontaneous transformation, the actor says, in true Jack Sparrow fashion, "Shows up now and then." When a fan reminds Depp not to forget Jack's jar of dirt (a film reference), Depp smiles and says, "Love you guys." Thank you very much!”
Depp played the popular character in five films in Disney's ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise, which grossed $4.25 billion worldwide, making Depp the highest-paid actor in the world at one point. ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales’, the franchise's most recent film, was released in 2017.
Depp has filed a $50 million lawsuit against Heard for allegedly defaming him in a 2018 Washington Post article in which she described herself as a survivor of domestic abuse. Even though Heard did not name Depp in the article, he lost work, including a planned ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film and ‘the Fantastic Beasts’ film series, according to Depp's legal team. Depp has also claimed that Heard was abusive to him during their marriage.
Heard, for her part, has countersued Depp for $100 million, alleging physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her ex-husband. Both trials are taking place concurrently in Virginia, and the verdict is expected on May 27.