The Rock Was Nearly Cast as Johnny Depp's Role in 'Pirates of the Caribbean'

Hollywood's most beloved pirate character almost looked very different. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was reportedly among the actors considered for the role of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean before Johnny Depp was cast. It's difficult to imagine how different the franchise would have been.

Johnny Depp famously based his eccentric portrayal of Jack Sparrow on Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards (who later appeared in the sequels as Sparrow's father). Disney executives were reportedly baffled by Depp's performance during production and considered replacing him — until test audiences loved the character. The Pirates franchise went on to gross over $4.5 billion worldwide.