Johnny was kind: Kaya

As an actor, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to work with someone who’s that good at what they do. Johnny Depp becomes the character and he just lets it flow and fall out of him. Kaya Scodelario

For Kaya Scodelario, being a part of Pirates of the Caribbean: Slazar’s Revenge was an exciting opportunity to expand her acting skill set. “I’ve also never done comedy before and I’ve always found the Pirates movies really funny,” Scodelario says. “I’ve always found it such intelligent humour; a humour that adults can get and kids can also enjoy. I really wanted that challenge as an actress. So that’s what excited me the most about it.”

The actress tells us more about the movie and working with Johnny Depp and others:

What interested you about

I was excited to do a movie that my little cousins could watch and that my kids one day would be able to watch and that I could have fun with. I’ve also never done comedy before and I’ve always found the Pirates movies really funny. I’ve always found it such intelligent humour; a humour that adults can get and kids can also enjoy. I really wanted that challenge as an actress.

Did you see any of the other films?

I was 14 when the first one came out, and I remember the excitement surrounding it.

Talk about your character. Where do we find her?

She is called Carina Smyth, and she’s a young woman who doesn’t have any family. She’s an orphan, but she’s really tried to carve out a life for herself. She doesn’t let that define her. She wants to study at university. That’s her main goal. She wants to be an astronomer. She wants to study time and space and stars and the universe.

What is it like working with Johnny Depp?

Great. I really like him as a soul, as a person. Not as Johnny Depp, just as Johnny. He’s very kind to me; he was very kind to my husband and to my friends and my family when they visited and that’s always what I judge people on – how they behave around all this and he’s been wonderful. And then also as an actor, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to work with someone who’s that good at what they do. I love working off of instinct and I think Johnny does as well. He becomes the character and he just lets it flow and fall out of him.

What has it been like working with Geoffrey Rush?

Oh, it’s been lovely. I think Geoffrey has been part of the light and soul of the set. He’s

so funny, and I didn’t expect him to be. I thought he was going to be quite a serious actor. We had a great working relationship from day one. We rehearsed together a lot, and Geoffrey was like a father figure to me on set – but a really cool, fun dad.

And what about the Spanish maestro Javier Bardem?

Hearing that he was going to be a part of this was a dream come true for me. I’ve been a huge fan of his work for a very long time. Since my mother is Brazilian, I’ve always felt a bit outcast in the industry because I have a different ethnic background and to see someone like him doing so well and then being so proud of who he is and where he comes from, is uplifting. He’s this big, really loving, kind, sweet person. But when you’re on set with him, something shifts. You feel the mood change and he’s a power. He’s an absolute force to be reckoned with.

What was your favorite part about being in the film?

For me, it’s been the whole adventure of it from start to finish. Personally as well, I think the most important part is what I’ve learned from Johnny Depp. I’ve learned to be silly and to really embrace the comedic side of myself and then to enjoy acting silly and acting big. That’s something I’d never done before so that really taught me a lot as a professional, and it’s something that I can’t wait to use again in other projects.

What can the audience take away from the movie?

I hope that they walk away with the same feeling they had when they went to the movies for the first time ever – just going somewhere quite magical and taking yourself away from social media and family problems and traffic and pollution and just immersing yourself in an adventure for a couple of hours with your family.