Johnny Depp: 'I'm here because of Bruckheimer'

Johnny Depp has said that he only found success with the Pirates of the Caribbean series because of producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival press conference for sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Depp praised Bruckheimer and original Pirates director Gore Verbinski for backing his idiosyncratic portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow.

He said: "The only reason that I'm still around is because I was so supported by, first and foremost Jerry Bruckheimer, and the director on the first one, Gore Verbinski, in terms of what I was bringing to the table character-wise.

Depp noted that his interpretation of the pirate failed to generate much positive feedback from studio executives during the making of the first movie, adding: "There wasn't a group of Disney upper echelon who had any enthusiasm whatsoever for what I was doing. They almost subtitled me!"

Asked if he had any interest in producing future instalments of the Pirates franchise, the actor replied: "There's no way in the world, Jerry Bruckheimer is the only one who can produce. I would have exploded within the first five minutes of Pirates 1 had I had any sort of investment like he does. He's the only man for the job, for sure. He's a wizard."

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will open in cinemas worldwide next week.

> Pirates of the Caribbean Cannes review
> Gallery: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
> Cannes Film Festival complete coverage

Watch the stars of Pirates of the Caribbean discuss Jack Sparrow with DS below: