Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush, otherwise known as the nefarious Captain Hector Barbossa, recently spoke to Australian critic Mark Bierne about his return to piracy in AT WORLD’S END. Asked if Barbossa, who was a villian in the first film, can now be trusted, Geoffrey Rush replies: “[C]ertainly the implication from that cliffhanger ending on part two is that out of all of the people you want to bring back from the dead to help rescue Jack from being eaten by the beastie, Barbossa’s not the best guy to do it. They’re sworn enemies,” he reminds us.

Asked if the atmosphere on-set was as light-hearted and jovial as what shows on screen, Rush says, “We’ve been doing this on-and-off now for four-and-a-half years so there’s a tremendous camaraderie between all of the departments. The actors don’t just spend time amongst themselves; you spend a good part of the day with the make-up team, the stunt guys, the expert marine department who are ferrying you there. Someone like Johnny is a great team leader,” says Rush. “It’s great not to have a diva. It’s great to have someone who’s very laid-back, very playful . . . he’s probably the only person who dares to ad-lib. A lot of what he throws in makes it into the final mix. Jack Sparrow is some crazy part of Johnny’s brain.”

Geoffrey Rush states that his favorite films to make are those with large, talented ensembles–his turn as beleaguered impresario Philip Henslowe in the Oscar-winning SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE stands out as a favorite role. And his favorite actors? “I’ve been pretty lucky for a middle-aged character actor,” confides Rush; “my leading ladies have been Cate Blanchett and Salma Hayek and Charlize Theron and Kate Winslet. And Johnny Depp, we’ve been together for four-and-a-half years now on these films; he’s one of the great character actors in a leading man’s body who constantly surprises himself and his audience with his capabilities and imagination.”

Many thanks to emma for posting this delightful interview; you can read it in its entirety on the Porch. –Part-Time Poet