Johnny Depp 'A Major Dancer, Like Fred Astaire,' Says 'Pirates' Director Rob Marshall

THR: Coming from a background in choreography, did that help you mount the action pieces?

Marshall: I felt very at home doing action. Choreography and action are very similar. Through phsyicalization, through something active, you're trying to tell a story and also develop character. In addition to handling all sorts of things like movement and large numbers of people, the action sequences felt like big production numbers. And we had a fantastic stunt coordinator named George Marshall Ruge, and we found we spoke the same language.

THR: Johnny himself almost dances his way through the role in the previous movies.
Marshall: I always say, 'Johnny, you're a major dancer, like Fred Astaire,' and he says 'You're crazy.' But I mean it, he's one of the greatest dancers I have ever worked with.

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