Who Exactly Is Sir Paul McCartney Playing In ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean'?

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'Pirates of the Caribbean' Directors Talk Paul McCartney Cameo
Beatle portrays Johnny Depp character's "Uncle Jack" in scene originally written for Keith Richards
By Daniel Kreps
26 May 2017


The directors of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' have opened about the film's top-secret Paul McCartney cameo

The directors of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales have opened about the film's top-secret Paul McCartney cameo.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg revealed that the scene with McCartney, in full swashbuckling regalia, was originally intended for the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, who portrays Johnny Depp's father in the Disney franchise.

"We had even written a scene for Keith,” Rønning said. "And then because of some scheduling issues, he couldn't come to Australia to shoot, so we sat down with Johnny and kind of brainstormed, like, 'Okay, who could fill his shoes?' Because we felt like we should have something. We should honor the tradition of showing a Jack Sparrow family member. And we made a very short list, and of course, at the very top of that list was Sir Paul McCartney."

The actor then picked up his cellphone and texted McCartney – "I don't know what kind of club these people are a member of, but he had the phone number," Rønning said – and, after exchanging some pirate lingo via text, the cameo was all lined up.

As audiences seeing Dead Men Tell No Tales in theaters this weekend will attest, McCartney plays "Uncle Jack" to Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow, which means in the Pirates universe, Richards and McCartney are brothers. Depp and McCartney's scene together takes place in a Caribbean jail cell where both Sparrows await execution.

In the scene, McCartney also sings a sea shanty. "The scene starts with him singing a song, and at the very end of the day, we needed to do a wild take to just record him singing," Rønning said. "Nobody else is working on the set so on the soundstage, it's completely quiet, and we're only rolling sound. So I'm sitting there behind the monitors, listening in with earphones and basically recording Paul McCartney. That was a big, big moment."

Despite less-than-stellar reviews, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is expected to gross $80 million at the box office over Memorial Day weekend.





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Who Exactly Is Sir Paul McCartney Playing In ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales?’
ALYSSA FIKSE
05.26.2017

This post contains spoilers for Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, so read on with caution, mateys.

The time has come for the latest Pirates Of The Caribbean film to hit theaters and for Johnny Depp to break out his Captain Jack Sparrow schtick once again. While people are a little bit confused about why this film exists, the allure of the high seas is pretty strong, so it’s bound to carry the holiday weekend. Part of that allure? Finding out who the heck Sir Paul McCartney is playing. Fans have been curious since his grizzled beard graced his very own poster, and now the secret’s out.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

Due to scheduling conflicts, The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards was unable to appear in the film to reprise his cameo role as Jack Sparrow’s father, so directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg decided to reach out to McCartney to step into sea faring boots as Sparrow’s “Uncle Jack.” Sandberg told Entertainment Weekly:

“Johnny, of course, has his phone number, as you do. I don’t know what kind of club these people are a member of, but he had the phone number, so he said, ‘You know, I’ll text him! No problem.’ So he did! He just texted Sir Paul, and Sir Paul texted back. And it went a little back and forth, and their lingo got more and more pirate-y, and it was like, well, this is going to happen!”

Honestly, can you imagine the numbers that Depp has on his phone?

For Rønning, working with McCartney was one of the highlights of the shoot because he got to see the man in musical action.

“The scene starts with him singing a song, and at the very end of the day, we needed to do a wild take to just record him singing. Nobody else is working on the set so on the soundstage, it’s completely quiet, and we’re only rolling sound. So I’m sitting there behind the monitors, listening in with earphones and basically recording Paul McCartney. That was a big, big moment.”

Plus, the idea that Richards and McCartney would be brothers is surely hilarious for those who still have strong opinions on the classic Rolling Stones vs. The Beatles feud.

(Via EW)