The smash-hit movie that Robert De Niro will always regret
Few careers are as storied as Robert De Niro‘s. Often considered not only the best actor of his generation but arguably one of the greatest performers of all time, the New Yorker has given the world some of its most beloved movies ever. Starring roles in Taxi Driver, Deer Hunter and Raging Bull have guaranteed that De Niro will remain a bastion of what makes an actor trul legendary for decades to come.
The roles were gritty and gnarly. They showcased the dark depths and shining beauty of humanity in all its glory, and it was for these roles that De Niro became most well-known. Later in his career, the actor would begin to hone in on his position as a gangster movie regular, picking up iconic roles in Casino, Goodfellas and The Irishman, which would sometimes push the audience into typecasting the actor.
Nobody likes to be too tightly categorised and De Niro seemed keen to break out of this box during the early 2000s. it would see him take on some more lighthearted roles such as Analyze This and Meet The Parents with the latter often considered one of his defining performances. During this time, the actor also made a decision that he would live to regret forever.
Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the biggest franchises in modern cinema. The Disney production has amassed over $4.5billion during its time at the box office and is one of the company’s greatest assets. The pictures, which centre on the adventures of the titular vagabonds, have many wonderful actors on board but few are as pivotal to its success as Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. However, it was a role that De Niro was originally considered for.
The actor was actually thought of as the only man for the job after he beat out Jim Carrey to be offered the role. Things were so close that De Niro was allegedly sent a contract to sign, but, for reasons somewhat unknown, he backed out of the deal, citing that he “wasn’t sure the film would make money”. The picture, The Curse of the Black Pearl, would make $650m at the box office alone and give Johnny Depp four sequels.
In 2007, De Niro noted that he had “a lot of regrets” about not pursuing the movie. It meant that when he was offered the chance to star in a fantasy movie with Michelle Pfeiffer as Captain Shakespeare in Stardust, he jumped at the chance. The movie has since become a cult favourite among a generation of cinemagoers but it is hard to compare it to the wild success of Pirates of the Carribean, with the former only making $137m on an $80m budget.
The career of Robert De Niro likely didn’t need to be tinged with the smudge of Disney’s grubby mitts, and there is a good chance that without Depp in the lead role that the pirating picture wouldn’t have made the money it did. But in a career full of golden moments and shining accolades, Pirates of the Caribbean remains one of the most disappointing moments of De Niro’s life.
