Pirates of the Caribbean biggest scandals – banned film, £600k payout and naked snap

Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl premiered in 2003 and became a box office hit upon its release.

Johnny Depp, who was already a household name, brought the character of Captain Jack Sparrow to life and is often renowned for making the franchise the success that it became.

While William Turner star Orlando Bloom was a rising face in Hollywood due to his portrayal of Legolas in Lord of the Rings, the swashbuckler film catapulted Keira Knightley to global stardom at the age of just 17 when she landed the role of Elizabeth Swann.

READ MORE: Johnny Depp ‘returning to Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean’ for secret new project

Curse of the Black Pearl was followed by four sequels and featured the likes of Geoffrey Rush as well as married couple Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz.

But over the last 20 years, the cast of the iconic films have been involved in their fair share of controversies which have landed them in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.

Johnny Depp

In one of the most high-profile celebrity court cases, Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard sat through a six-week trial in Virginia after Heard accused the actor of domestic abuse.

The Aquaman star, 37, detailed the alleged abuse and surviving domestic violence in an op-ed published in the Washington Post in 2018.

Depp, 60, denied all allegations against him and claimed it was actually his ex-wife who was abusive towards him during their relationship.

As a result of the op-ed, which saw the actor “dropped” by Disney for his role in the Pirates franchise, Depp filed a suit against her for defamation.

During the highly publicised trial, Depp’s lawyers pleaded with jurors to “give him his life back” after it was “ruined” by Heard’s allegations.

The jury came to a unanimous decision that Heard defamed Depp, awarding him $10m in compensatory damages and $5m in punitive damages.

Heard filed a countersuit for $100, claiming she was only ever violent with the Edward Scissorhands actor in self-defence or defending her sister.

Depp was found liable on one charge of defamation by the jury and was ordered to pay his ex-wife $2m in compensatory damages.

Orlando Bloom

Orlando Bloom sent the internet into meltdown when he was photographed naked alongside partner Katy Perry.

The Hobbit star was enjoying a holiday in Sardinia when he was snapped by paparazzi kneeling in the nude on a paddleboard in 2016 and immediately hit headlines when the infamous photo went viral.

One year later, the actor spoke ELLE UK about the viral picture, asking: “Are we going to talk about my penis?”

Discussing the widespread reaction following the photo’s release, he told the publication: “Yes, it was extremely surprising. I wouldn’t have put myself in that position if I’d thought it would happen.

“I’ve been photographed a million times in a million ways. I have a good radar. We’d been completely alone for five days. Nothing around us. There was no way anyone could get anything. So I had a moment of feeling free.”

Keira Knightley

During an interview with Ellen DeGeneres in 2018, Keira Knightley told the chat show host that her daughter Edie was banned from watching certain Disney films because of the outdated message they share.

The 38-year-old, who was promoting The Nutcracker And The Four Realms at the time, told Ellen: “She’s banned from watching Cinderella, as the film is about waiting around for a rich guy to rescue her – no, rescue yourself.

“And this is the one that I’m quite annoyed about because I really like the film, but Little Mermaid [is banned, too]. I mean, the songs are great, but do not give your voice up for a man. Hello!

“But the problem with The Little Mermaid is – I love The Little Mermaid! That one’s a little tricky — but I’m keeping to it.”

The comments sparked major backlash from fans who slammed the actress for her views on the animated classics.

One person fumed: “Is Keira Knightley serious? What a load of old s**t. Won’t let her kids watch Cinderella or The little mermaid? What a be***nd.”

“Keira Knightley banning her kid from watching Cinderella calling it sexist because she waits around on a man to rescue her. Wasn’t she rescued in Pirates of the Caribbean….by men? Kn*****d”,” added a second.

Another penned: “Keira knightley stopped her daughter watching Cinderella due to it being out dated, little girls love Cinderella please allow our small children to grow up slowly and have beautiful dreams I find this so sad”.

The Atonement star responded to the backlash, telling The Guardian: “I thought I was just being perky in an interview. My God, people feel really strongly. Don’t f**k with Cinderella. Her fans will end you.”

Geoffrey Rush

Johnny Depp wasn’t the only star of the Pirates franchise who was dragged through the courts as Captain Barbossa actor Geoffrey Rush also filed a defamation lawsuit.

The 71-year-old was accused of sexual misconduct by a female co-star whom he worked with on the production of King Lear in 2015.

In 2017, The Daily Telegraph published claims that the Oscar-winning actor had been sexually inappropriate with said co-star, prompting Rush to file a defamation suit against the publication.

Rush told the courts the claims were “devastating,” adding: “It just didn’t relate to the experience that I’d had doing the production of Lear.”

During the trial, Justice Michael Wigney said the articles suggested the Australian actor was “a pervert”, “a sexual predator” and “committed sexual assault in a theatre” during the production.

The King’s Speech star was awarded $600,000 for the damage to his reputation and received further payments for loss of earnings.

Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem

Penelope Cruz starred as Angelica in the fourth instalment of the franchise, On Stranger Tides, while Javier Bardem followed in his wife’s footsteps and portrayed Captain Salazar – the villain in the fifth and final instalment, Dead Men Tell No Tales.

The couple, who have been married since 2010, co-signed an open letter in a Spanish newspaper denouncing Israel’s bombing of Gaza in 2014.

But their explosive comments sparked anger amongst top bosses in Hollywood who called their careers into question at the time.

One executive told the Hollywood Reporter that he was “furious” with the couple and questioned whether he’d work with them again.

Ryan Kavanaugh, who served as CEO of Relativity Media, told the publication that the initial letter made his “blood boil”.

Following the extreme backlash, the Oscar-winning couple released statements clarifying their intentions.

The Spanish actress, 49, claimed her signature was “solely meant as a plea for peace,” while Bardem insisted he only wished for “unity and peace”.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk