Johnny Depp's 'train wreck' on-set behaviour detailed by Pirates of the Caribbean 5 crew members
'There were certainly days when our plans were challenged'
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The crew who worked on the production of Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge (Dead Men Tell No Tales in the US) have detailed Johnny Depp's "train wreck" on-set behaviour.
While Jerry Bruckheimer - the producer of Disney's fifth Pirates instalment - defended the Jack Sparrow actor, unnamed sources have made claims about the actor's lateness and drinking habits which left crew and extras waiting for hours on the film's Gold Coast set.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Depp's behaviour saw a production staffer deployed outside the actor's trailer in an unmarked car to report back the exact moment he had resurfaced to directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg.
When he got up, he’d turn on the light, and the moment the light went on they’d call the line producer, who would then call the directors: ‘He’s up! He’s getting ready!’” a source told THR.
“They even had a special code term, like ‘The eagle has landed.’ Johnny had no idea this was going on.”
His lateness and alleged heavy drinking led to a reported spat between Bruckheimer and Depp's then-agent Tracey Jacobs who was fired in 2016.
In an interaction Bruckheimer claims never happened: “[Jacobs] went over to Jerry and said, 'You've got to do something! You're the producer.' He said, 'You do something. You're the agent.'”
The unnamed source continued: “But when Johnny came on set, he was charming, nice. He's yin and yang.”
Production chief Scott Bailey levelled that “there were certainly days when our plans were challenged," but praised the actor's dedication to the Pirates series.
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"No one should underestimate Johnny's passion and commitment to this character and franchise," Bailey said.
Bruckheimer continued: “You've got to understand the kind of pressure Johnny was under in Australia. At times helicopters would follow him home. There would be so many media outside his gates that trucks were feeding them.
"There was so much stuff made up about him: that Johnny had a fight on set and had gone back to the States, which we both read about while we were in his trailer.”
Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge is released in UK cinemas on 26 May
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