By staff writer Diane B. Rooney
Johnny Depp had it easy, in a way, creating Captain Jack Sparrow. Of course, Depp brought his own insight, inspiration, and magic to Jack's character and his look, language, and gestures. But an army of designers, wardrobe, hair and makeup professionals, prop makers, production assistants, water bottle bringers and other able hands helped him bring Jack Sparrow to life.
Since the release of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" in July 2003, Captain Jack Sparrow has become a popular figure at fantasy and sci-fi conventions and Renaissance Faires. There are Captain Jacks in all sizes and shapes, including some female ones. The big difference between them and Johnny is that they've done it all alone: everything from tracking down frockcoat fabric and making metal castings for pieces of Jack's compass to imitating his breathy voice and unmistakable swagger.
That's Wade on the left, and Toby on the right.
Two of the very best are Toby M. from Chicago and Wade F. from Atlanta. They took time out at Dragon*Con 2005 in Atlanta to discuss their experiences creating, and being, Jack Sparrow. There's no doubt about their popularity, or their character's -- our cafe interview after the Dragon*Con parade was interrupted several times by apologetic fans ("Oooh, an interview! I'm so sorry!") and as for the lobby photo shoot, well, we could have used one of those take-a-number machines to help with crowd control.
A Long Standing Interest in Costumes...And Characters
Toby in "Cannibal Jack" makeup.
Both Toby and Wade were interested in costumes and characters long before Captain Jack Sparrow appeared on screen. Toby got into costuming from Star Wars, explaining, "I've been interested in Star Wars since I was a kid. Later on I discovered the Chicago chapter of the 501st, and I thought, there are groups of people who do this? I've done several Star Wars characters over the years, Darth Maul, an Imperial Stormtrooper, Bobba and Jango Fett, Anakin, and of course Vader. Sauron was my first non-Star Wars costume."
Wade as Captain Jack.
Wade, who grew up in Florida, has been interested in pirates for some twenty years, since he was a kid visiting Walt Disney World and a certain pirate-themed ride. A musician and performer on the Renaissance Faire circuit, Wade was a musketeer before he was a pirate.
"Before Captain Jack Sparrow, I played D'Artagnan," he disclosed. "I'm Captain of the Georgia Musketeers Guild. My costume is the one worn by Edward Atterton, who played Lieutenant Andre in 'The Man in the Iron Mask'. Gabriel Byrne played D'Artagnan in the film, and I also bought his cloak and some props from the film. I worked hard to track everything down." Wade revealed he's actually a second-generation costumer: "My mother was an expert seamstress. I grew up learning about costumes and fabrics, because they were all around me."
The Summer of 2003
Neither Wade nor Toby was very into the film before it opened. Wade mentioned, "I knew the film was coming, but I didn't know a lot about it or even who was in it. I saw it opening night." Toby's initial reaction was based on the trailer. "I had seen the trailer, a few times, and it interested me. I was a bit wary, because it was a film based off a ride. Much like movies based from video games, the results aren't usually that great. But I did like the look of the costume. But, as with most movies, I didn't get a chance to see it right away. Not until October."
Getting Started with Jack
Wade began developing his Captain Jack right away. "I started right after I saw the film! Actually, it was my ex-wife's idea. She saw a resemblance to Johnny Depp and really encouraged me to do it," he revealed. He debuted the costume at Dragon*Con 2003, noting, "When I started playing Captain Jack Sparrow, less than two months after the film opened, no one was playing him. The response was overwhelming -- you feel like you're part of the movie. People refer to you as Captain Jack Sparrow."
Wade takes his costume research very seriously. "I did a great deal of research on the materials for the costume. As an artist, I knew that a fabric's color changes in real light. I took pictures of fabrics in stores before deciding what fabrics to use. The fabric for the coat was the toughest. I keep wondering how it would look on stage. I tried contacting people who worked on the film, Penny Rose, the propmakers, anybody I could think of who might have the information. I even tried to track down Johnny Depp's stunt double."
Both Wade and Toby have invested countless hours making their costumes. "I started the weekend after the film opened in July 2003, and the costume was done for Labor Day weekend. So I worked pretty much non-stop for about seven weeks to get it ready. That's not just making it, but all the research on pirates and the period, and all the work tracking down information," says Wade. Toby laughs, "Well, I've remade everything three times, so..."
Toby's Approach
Toby, who first saw the film in October, worked on an initial costume for Halloween 2003. "I first presented it at the Gathering of the Fellowship convention in Toronto in December 2003. I had only seen the film once. I collected lots of pictures of the costume and worked up the measurements," he explains.
His approach to costuming is rooted in a quest for accuracy and a desire to always learn new skills. "Over the last two years I've remade everything at least three times," he says, continuing, "For me, it's important to go all out. For example, on my Sauron costume I worked for two months solid until 2AM. I like to work on costumes that challenge me, where I learn something. I learned a lot about metalwork, for example, on the Sauron costume. I've also learned how to work in wood, in leather, and even in latex to create the toes for the Cannibal Jack that you'll see next summer in Dead Man's Chest. I like to experiment and learn from trial and error."
Toby's "Cannibal Jack" toe necklace. No actual toes were harmed in the making of this accessory.
Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka and Don Juan de Marco, in addition to Captain Jack Sparrow, are in Toby's repertoire. "I didn't mean to get interested in Depp roles. It just coincidentally became that," he says. "Edward Scissorhands was something I had always wanted to do, but it got pushed aside when I made Sauron. By the time I was able to get around to it, Jack was already finished. Don Juan only came to be because 1) I enjoy the movie, 2) It was something I could wear to ren faire that wasn't a pirate, and 3) It's basically 'the original' Jack Sparrow character, if you think about it."
(Note. If you look closely at the "Dead Man's Chest" teaser poster, you will see that the skull has a small figure dangling like a charm on the left side of his head. Enlarge this figure and you will see the hair and makeup design Toby used for Cannibal Jack.)
Character Development
Of course, Captain Jack Sparrow is about character as much as about costume. Both men talked about their approaches.
Wade explains, "I see the story set in the last golden age of piracy, say 1710 to 1714. I love the romanticism of that time. That's what I try to keep in mind when I am in character. And as a musician, I've studied Keith Richard, who of course was an inspiration for Johnny Depp. I am also a performer, so I spent a lot of time studying the film to get the mannerisms and the voice."
For him, the toughest part was the voice. "The mannerisms weren't that hard, since Jack comes across as a stoner rock star. What took a lot of practice was the enunciation, the way Jack rolls and slurs his words. Jack's voice is very breathy and uses a lot of air, plus when I am playing the character I have to project the voice. So it's very, very hard on the throat. After a convention, I have no voice for about a week."
Toby is a natural born imitator. "Literally, when I see a character, I have a natural tendency to just pick it up. I do it all the time, in my everyday life. I'm always imitating people at work, or at home. I probably developed it when I was in grade school, always being the class clown. When I first wore Jack, I just 'switched Jack mode on', and I kept going and going. I did the same for Willy Wonka. I was in the theater, seeing the movie for the first time, and I was already repeating some of his lines," he maintains.
So Whose Fantasy Is It Anyway?
The strength of Captain Jack Sparrow's appeal can be seen in the way fans react to presenters like Wade and Toby. Toby, who often works Jack into presentations of his other characters, says, "I can be wearing my Imperial Stormtrooper costume with a Captain Jack Sparrow head and makeup and people will still ask if I'm the real Johnny Depp. The costume has a certain power. I took a vacation in Honduras last year and people were begging to be able to take pictures with Captain Jack Sparrow."
Wade agrees, adding, "The response is overwhelming! I've gotten invited to lots of parties. At conventions, people seem to want me at all the events - The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the media parties. At Dragon*Con I was part of the auction, and I was even shanghai'd to a Goth party."
Wade had some interesting thoughts on fan-tasy, suggesting, "It's interesting, interacting with fans. You realize you are living in their fantasy as well as your own. You may get lots of phone numbers, but you realize they are only relating to you as Captain Jack Sparrow or as Johnny Depp, not as who you really are." He believes most fans relate to him as Johnny Depp rather than as Captain Jack.
Wade continues, "At a North Carolina Renaissance festival I was almost tackled by a kid, about 12 years old, who just wanted a hug. Through my website I also get a lot of emails from people, teenagers mostly I guess, who think I'm Johnny Depp. Not everybody gets that it's a performance, that there are boundaries. But as a performer you can't break character, you have to just channel whatever you're feeling into the character."
And there are judges in every crowd, Wade feels. "The majority of people, say 95 out of 100, really engage with the character. The other five tend to judge you, to evaluate how good you are versus the original. Of course, most of them are costumers and performers as well."
The Center of Attention
Like his screen counterpart, Captain Jack Sparrow draws attention wherever he goes. Best experiences? "Recently I auditioned for a two week gig at Navy Pier in Chicago in October," says Wade. "They treated us to dinner, but there was no time to change, so I ended up going to dinner at a really nice restaurant in costume. Everybody, the waiters, the maitre'd, the other diners, got into it. In a way, I love shocking people, just like Jack."
"You mean the standing ovation, from the entire Medieval Times arena, at the Gathering?" responds Toby. (I was there, and it was pretty amazing to see this outpouring of appreciation for a character that isn't even in The Lord of the Rings!) "The funniest, I think, are all the times that people are completely convinced that you are Johnny Depp, " he continues, "Doing the annual Disney lights festival, in downtown Chicago, I stepped out into the oncoming crowd of tourists, and people kept stopping to take pictures. One woman had a picture taken, with me and her son. After the picture, she proceeded to tell me how I was their favorite actor."
Be sure to visit Wade's website at http://www.captnjacksparrow.com/Tortugas.htm and Toby's at http://www.sithcamaro.com
Comments? Email me! (Diane lives in California and spent two days on set as an extra in Dead Man's Chest, where she played a Tortuga Cantina Woman.)
Continue to Part 2: Creating Jack Sparrow - Costume Detail, Comparisons and Conclusions
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