Zombies, mermaids and a female pirate ufffd there's a lot going on in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On stranger tides'. Award-winning actress Penelope Cruz talks about her character
Zombies, mermaids and a female pirateu00a0-- there's a lot going on in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On stranger tides'. Award-winning actress Penelope Cruz talks about her character
Kohl-lined eyes, check. Weather-worn clothes, check. Chunky finger rings, check. Spanish beauty Penelope Cruz is all set to play Johnny Depp's adversary in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which releases in India on May 20. In an interview, she tells us what it is to work alongside Captain Jack Sparrow and play Angelica, Blackbeard's daughter and the first-ever female pirate in the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise.
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Were you a fan of the first three films and how was it to be offered the part?
Yes, I had seen and loved them. I was amazed by the character that Johnny created. I remember when I saw the first one, I was, like, "Wow, that's so brave and so brilliant." When Rob told me about the possibility of doing this together, we were in London finishing Nine (the 2009 musical) and he asked me, "Would you like to be part of 'Pirates 4' with me and Johnny?" I said, of course. I have never done a movie like that and to go back to work with them again was something that made me very happy. Of course, Johnny and I hadn't worked together for ten years.
What did you like about reuniting with Johnny and working with him on this?
When we were together in Blow, we got along really well. Then I didn't see him for a long time, but now that I've spent a lot of time with him again, after all these years, it just gets better and better every day. And when I met him, one of the things that I was most surprised about was how humble he is. He's so kind to everyone and so sweet and he has a really brilliant mindu00a0-- smart, really clever, fast, really funny. He's one of the funniest people I know and he has a very big heart.
Why does she need Jack Sparrow?
They are both trying to find The Fountain of Youth. Angelica has information that he needs, and he has information that she needs. So, there they are, stuck on a boat.
You play the first female pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean.u00a0 What's she like?
Angelica has the pirate mindu00a0-- tricky, manipulative, and dangerous. She has a religious background and very strong values. So she's full of contradictions and I think that's what makes her so interesting. She knows that to get what she wants, she has to be tricky and she has to manipulate Jack Sparrow and others. And she knows that to be his equal, she has to be a very good liar, actress and manipulator.u00a0 To get what she wants she's capable of tricking anybody, but at the end, what she wants is something good.
How do you prepare to be a female pirate?
I trained for two months before we started shooting. So I knew all the choreography. I trained with the specialists and stuntmen and with my double...she's amazing.
What do you think makes Blackbeard such an interesting villain?
Well, he's really dangerous. I think it's very clever to cast Ian McShane because he's such a great actor and he brings something to the character that is completely anti-clich ufffd. And there is something in the eyes of that character that makes you feel real fear. He created a very complicated personality.
Your character wants to save him, but he also has an edginess about him. You don't know where he stands, correct?
Yes. Angelica doesn't want to admit that she cannot trust her father. She wants to give him a chance to change and she keeps fighting for that, but it's very hard.
Can you comment on the new things that people get to see, the mermaids and zombies, etc?
Everybody wants to see mermaids. We all fantasise about how mermaids would be if they were real. And the mermaids in this movie are beautiful, but they are dangerous. I remember on the set everybody wanted to see the girls, the mermaids, and to see the drawings of the pictures of how they would look at the end after all the special effects were finished. And now that I have seen it, it's really beautiful.
And the zombies?
I cannot really get scared of the zombies because they were all such great guys and we were together for six months. They were in makeup for five or six hours a day and it's amazing what the makeup department has created.
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