Because Disney is a company that sells entertainment to families and they are particularly careful not to offend the sensitivities of children and parents.
Therefore, they tend to smooth their products well so that nothing sticks out. Rough edges are not welcome in the world of Disney.
After seeing the first rushes of “Pirates of the Caribbean”, studio executives had a big scare.
Wasn’t the main character in their next “summer movie” potentially problematic?
Johnny Depp recounted the reactions of the firm’s top brass in an interview with Vanity Fair :
“They were horrified by the character of Jack Sparrow as I played him. They hated him. I think it was Michael Eisner, the CEO of Disney at the time, who said “He’s ruining the movie for us” when talking about me.
All the senior executives at the company were saying, “What’s his problem? Why is he acting like that? Is he supposed to be a simpleton? Is he drunk? Is that He’s gay ?”
So, when a manager asked me the question directly, I replied very seriously: “But, didn’t you know that all my characters are gay? That’s how I play them all.” I remember it made her very nervous.”
The rest, we know it. Johnny Depp refused to change his interpretation and the film became a huge success, thereby launching a very juicy franchise. And naturally, Johnny Depp’s performance was acclaimed…