‘I had to wear computer pajamas with white pom-poms’: Pirates of the Caribbean pain for this British actor

To recall, English actor Bill Nighy, known for his roles in Love Actually and Shaun of the Dead, made a notable appearance as the dastardly villain Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Secret of the Cursed Chest. The adventure film was the second installment in the franchise starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley and broke several box office records when it was released in 2006.

Nye’s character was inspired by nautical legends, and although Davy Jones was once human, his appearance gradually became more marine, with octopus-like tentacles growing from his face and hands.

A A video interview was given to Vanity Fair In 2022, the actor returned to this experience, which he described as “complex“and”Often insulation” admitted that he expected to play the character in a physical costume, only to be informed that Davy Jones would be created in computer-generated imagery (or CGI).

“When I got there, I didn’t know that I wouldn’t have a suit like everyone else. So I called the costume department and said, “Is my costume coming out soon?” And they said, “Did no one tell you?” I said: What did they tell me? Then it turned out that I had to wear computer pajamas covered in white pom-poms, a hat with pom-poms on my head and 250 dots on my face, and sneakers that were too big for me. – Poms on the head. And then they introduced me to Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. If I had experienced moments of loneliness before, this was on a different level.“

quickly, Bill Nye He felt isolated while the rest of the team seemed to protect him separately because of his strange attire:

“People didn’t want to have dinner with me, it was really sad. The tech team was saying “hello, hello” to me and walking away because it was embarrassing to see this middle-aged man dressed like he couldn’t get into the devo.“

But in the end, despite this discomfort, the actor did not give up what he could do, as he said: “That’s one of the things I’m most proud of is that I didn’t go to the airport, you know? I didn’t say to myself, “You know, I thought I could do this, should I go home now? I didn’t do it.“

After all, as he also explained, he immediately managed to find the character on the first day of shooting, and it would be a shame to refuse.

“before that Gore I didn’t say “action” the first time, I had no idea. I’ve been there and it’s amazing what can happen when you’re really scared. I started doing a kind of very strong Scottish accent, which I’ve never done before. It came out on its own and I moved on. And finally he told me: “It’s wonderful!” And I said, “I don’t know, maybe there is a God.”“

And the result was widely praised upon release The Secret of the Cursed Breast. Davy Jones’s appearance earned the film’s creative team a 2006 Academy Award for Visual Effects and was named the 10th most impressive use of CGI in film by Vanity Fair in 2007. Some film critics even confused Davy Jones’ appearance with makeup and prosthetics. So realistic!

However, the comments Bill Nye Emphasizes an important aspect of the relationship between actors and computer-generated images. Wearing motion sensors and skin-tight clothing in a green screen studio is a difficult and arguably unnatural process for an actor. Plus, as he described, it can be both physically uncomfortable and socially isolating on set.

The Pirates of the Caribbean saga, including Gore Verbinski’s original trilogy, can be found on Disney+.