13 Behind-the-Scenes Facts About Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 

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13 Behind-the-Scenes Facts About Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

We’ve compiled a list of some of the most surprising behind-the-scenes facts about

 just in case you, like us, are still wondering how filmmakers managed to take the magic of the ride and turn it into a magical movie. Enjoy!

It may come as a surprise, but Keira Knightley was only 17 years old during the filming of

. In fact, her mother traveled with her to every shooting location.

Location scouts searched several locations in the Caribbean but ended up selecting St. Vincent, because it had fewer buildings on the coast, and was less crowded.

3. It took over five months and 100 craftsmen to build the cave seen in the film.

One of the biggest sets in the film was the treasure cave. It took over five months and 100 craftsmen to build it on a soundstage in Hollywood.

4. A real ship named Lady Washington starred as The Interceptor.

Though most of the ships seen in the film were created from scratch, Lady Washington was rented, sailed all the way down to the Caribbean, and used as The Interceptor. The crew repainted the entire boat, cut gun ports for the cannons, changed the stern, and more.

5. Johnny Depp was really steering the ship in the film.

According to Johnny Depp, he wasn’t told beforehand that he would actually be steering the ship!. He did a pretty great job as far as we’re concerned.

50 makeup artists, 900 wardrobe pieces, and 30 hairstylists were used to help create the look of the characters.

7. That was Keira Knightley and not a stunt double who jumped off the plank.

Keira Knightley recalled standing on the plank for two days during filming. Although she was terrified, when they told her they could get her stunt double to jump instead she said that after waiting so long, she wanted to be the one to do it.

8. Johnny Depp wore special contact lenses in the film.

You wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at him, but Johnny Depp wore contact lenses that acted as sunglasses, to protect his eyes from the sun (and so he wouldn’t squint as much).

To save time spent in the makeup chair, Kevin McNally grew his actual beard out for the role.

10. The part of Jack Sparrow was written with Hugh Jackman in mind.

When developing the character Jack Sparrow, writer and co-creator Stuart Beattie looked to the actor Hugh Jackman as inspiration. Despite this, Johnny Depp ended up nabbing the role.

In the sword-fighting scene between Will and Jack, filmmakers used chocolate powder as a substitute for real dirt.

12.  Several actors were considered for the role of Will Turner before Orlando Bloom was cast.

Jude Law, Heath Ledger, Ewan McGregor, Tobey Maguire, Ben Peyton, and Christian Bale were all considered for the role of Will Turner, but Orlando Bloom won the race partly because of his

13. Johnny Depp improvised one of the last lines in the film.

In addition to ad-libbing the popular “savvy,” Johnny Depp also improvised the line “bring me that horizon,” which he utters towards the end of the film.

Which fact surprised you most? Did you already know any? Let us know in the comments below!

Tagged as: Pirates of the Caribbean, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

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