Things You Didn't Know About The Making Of 'Pirates of the Caribbean'

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Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is one of the most ambitious films ever made. Based on the famous Disney ride, the film was injected with a $140 million budget, and steered by a motley crew. The movie seemed destined to bomb but thankfully, it proved the cynics wrong. In this instance, high ambition was not penalized by moviegoers; they appreciated the earnestness to the tune of $4.5 billion if you include the sequels. 

To learn the precise details of Pirates' singular ambitiousness, read our list of things you didn't know about the making of this film.


  • 1
    487 VOTES

    Barbossa's Monkey Only Cracked A Smile Once

    Barbossa's Monkey Only Cracked A Smile Once
    Video: YouTube

    When Barbossa informs Jack that he named his monkey after him, the monkey cracks a smile. The smile was perfectly timed yet completely coincidental. It flashed its pearly whites without prompting, making it seem like it understood the humor of the scene and wanted to add to the punchline. 

    487 votes
  • 2
    354 VOTES

    Jack Sparrow's Pistol Was Authentic, Having Been Crafted In London In 1760

    Jack Sparrow's Pistol Was Authentic, Having Been Crafted In London In 1760
    Photo: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End / Buena Vista Pictures

    Director Gore Verbinski insisted that Jack use a real era-appropriate pistol, so the prop master purchased multiples of such a pistol from a dealer in Connecticut. The 18th century flintlock pistols were crafted by a gunsmith named Perry. 

    354 votes
  • 3
    355 VOTES

    Johnny Depp Wore Contact Lenses That Protected His Eyes From The Sun

    Johnny Depp Wore Contact Lenses That Protected His Eyes From The Sun
    Photo: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl / Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

    The lenses had no purpose other than blocking out the sun, which prevented him from squinting during the sunniest periods of filming.

    355 votes
  • 4
    348 VOTES

    Johnny Depp Based His Portrayal Of Jack Sparrow On Keith Richards

    Johnny Depp based Jack's look and attitude off the Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards. He decided on this influence after reading about 18th century pirates and coming to the conclusion that they were like rock stars. Fittingly, Richards played Jack Sparrow's father in three of the films.

    348 votes
  • 5
    233 VOTES

    The Cast And Crew Consisted Of Roughly 400 Foreigners And 700 Vincentians

    The Cast And Crew Consisted Of Roughly 400 Foreigners And 700 Vincentians
    Photo: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl / Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

    The 400 cast and crew members were shipped to St. Vincent on boat. While on the island, they hired 700 Vincentians for additional work.

    233 votes
  • 6
    224 VOTES

    The Treasure Cave Took Five Months To Build

    The Treasure Cave Took Five Months To Build
    Photo: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl / Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

    Over 100 people worked on the set, which was built on a soundstage in Hollywood. They made the structural components out of styrofoam, wood, and plaster, and filled the "cave" with four feet of water and hundreds of thousands of fake gold coins.

    224 votes