Another new face in the Pirates franchise is Penelope Cruz who plays Angelica, the daughter of Blackbeard and Captain Jack’s old love. Together they set sail on the latest sea adventure. Continue reading for the full interview with Cruz:
How would you describe your character in Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides?
I play a pirate called Angelica in Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Angelica is very tricky, manipulative and dangerous when she has to be. She loves games, but she has a good heart and she has a religious background with very strong values, so she’s full of contradictions.
Exactly how manipulative is Angelica?
Angelica knows that to be the equal of people like Jack Sparrow, she has to be a very good liar, a very good actress and a very good manipulator. I think that’s what makes the character so interesting. In order to get what she wants, she knows that she has to manipulate people.
Is Angelica successful at manipulating Jack Sparrow?
Angelica has a personal score to settle with Jack, but at the same time she needs him because they are both on a mission together. They spend the entire movie tricking each other, but at the same time they help each other, too.
How did you approach this interesting relationship?
It was great fun to create this fantastic relationship by working with Johnny Depp. Whenever we work together, we always end up playing characters that fight. We played a married couple in a movie called Blow where we fought in every single scene. And in Pirates Of The Caribbean, we fight a lot, too. We’re always playing enemies that love each other.
How would you describe Johnny Depp?
One of the things that surprised me the most about Johnny Depp is the fact that he’s incredibly humble. He’s extremely kind to everyone and he’s very sweet, but he also has a really brilliant mind. He’s smart, clever, fast and funny. In fact, he’s one of the funniest people I know. However, he also has a very big heart.
Angelica dances the tango with Jack Sparrow in the movie. Were those scenes fun to film?
Johnny was a little scared about the tango. At first, he kept saying, “I’m not going to be able to do this. I’m not a good dancer. I can’t dance!” But then he learned the choreography in two minutes. He’s a great dancer with a fantastic sense of rhythm. I guess that isn’t surprising when you consider the fact that he knows how to play a lot of instruments. He’s a very good singer, too.
Johnny Depp has talked about Rolling Stones star Keith Richards being a huge inspiration behind Jack Sparrow. Who inspired your pirate, Angelica?
Angelica isn’t inspired by anybody you would know. I looked at people around me who are very bossy, or people who are very good liars and are very manipulative. These inspirations aren’t actually pirates in real life, obviously, but they are still good inspirations. Most of them wear a suit and a tie, but they are like pirates in other ways. I was inspired by a lot of people like that.
It sounds like making the film was an adventure in itself….
It was exactly that. One of the beautiful privileges of this job is that we get to travel so much and to discover beautiful places. Film shoots take us to places that you would never see if you weren’t making a movie. We’re very lucky.
Both your brother and sister are listed on the credits of Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. What was their involvement in the project?
My brother, Eduardo, is an amazing musician who wrote the beautiful tango music in the film. And my sister, Monica, is an actress and a dancer who is very good with swordfights because she had done some in a movie before. By the end of the film shoot, I was six months pregnant so we needed a little extra help. Monica very generously came in and covered for me.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES is Available on Blu-ray 3D & Blu-ray Hi-Def Combo Pack October 18th!
