"I Don't Ever Want to Go Back," Marvel Star Shares 'Pirates' Experience

Disney shifted gears at the turn of the millennia with their live-action films by no longer attempting to focus on creating original content. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) cemented the restructuring of their business model. The film grossed $654 million worldwide ($1.84 billion today) and became a cultural phenomenon, as well as a cinematic classic. It also elevated the legacy and prestige of Johnny Depp to the point that even his name in a headline will get immediate clicks. However, despite the fact that the success of this film blew up the careers of actors such as Depp, Kierra Knightley and Orlando Bloom, superstar, Zoe Saldaña explained why she would never want to go back to the blockbuster franchise.

She disclosed during an interview that reviewed her most iconic movie roles, that the production was “so big” for her at the time. Saldaña celebrated the first film by professing that it was “a great movie that was fun, entertaining and very well shot and very well-performed.” She also expressed that she appreciated how diverse the cast was as they were of all ages and all walks-of-life.

However, she admitted that it was a very hard production. It was “too big of a machine for her and too out of control.” Saldaña elaborated in another interview that Pirates was her first major exposure to a major Hollywood movie. The immensity of the production had multiple locations where the environment was not agreeable. She felt like she was lost in the trenches and not having the support on set to convey that was not okay.

Pirates of the Caribbean producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, got wind of Saldaña’s comments and she divulged that he apologized to her. He wanted to take accountability for the poor conditions for the non-main stars and always wants everyone to come away with a good experience working on his projects. Saldaña said his apology made her feel seen as an artist. Since then, the actor has gone onto be in some of the biggest cinematic spectacles such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Endgame, and the Avatar movies.

Saldaña concluded that her time on Pirates reassured that she would never want to go back to that kind of production. She was happy for all the actors that benefitted from this brutal work environment, but it will continue to be an experience not worth repeating as an actor.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Avatar are all streaming on Disney+.