Related: Why Will Turner & Elizabeth Swan Should Return For Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Disney executives may have been famously worried about the surreal direction Depp wanted to take the character in, but Jack Sparrow soon became the heart and soul of the series, and even ended up being promoted to leading man for the later Pirates of the Caribbean sequels. Johnny Depp’s camp antihero Jack Sparrow immediately won the hearts of fans worldwide, and the actor’s zany take on the character ended up making the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise one of the biggest in cinema history. However, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies had a secret weapon that critics weren’t prepared for.