How Bill Nighy Came Up With Davy Jones' Accent In Pirates Of The Caribbean
At a time, pirate movies were considered too risky to succeed at the box office. However, that changed thanks to 2003's "Pirates at the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," a rip-roaring swashbuckling adventure starring Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, and Orlando Bloom as a group of unlikely heroes who must square off against undead pirates. The success of that movie also paved the way for a few sequels — and the introduction of Davy Jones (Billy Nighy).
Debuting in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," Jones is an octopus-like creature who strikes fear into the hearts of most people he encounters. Despite his monstrous appearance, however, he's very well-spoken and boasts an accent that brings some Scottish flavor to the Seven Seas.
In a recent interview, Nighy explained why Davy Jones sounds the way he does, and recalled some odd conversations with Gore Verbinski that helped bring the character to life.
Gore Verbinski wanted Davy Jones to sound wet
Bill Nighy recently sat down with Vanity Fair and broke down some of his most iconic roles. When the topic of Davy Jones came up, he explained that he was initially reluctant to be part of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. However, a phone call with Gore Verbinski during the pre-production for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" saw them discuss ideas for the character's accent, and the rest is history.
According to Nighy, Verbinski initially asked him to sound "wet." Unfortunately, that request didn't help the actor get into character, so he performed a Scottish accent instead. "So I end up doing this Scottish accent in the back of a car on a mobile phone, with the driver looking in the rearview mirror going, 'What?' And it was all a bit, you know, awkward," Nighy recalled. "And then by the end of the phone call, I think I'd agreed to be in the movie."
Nighy also discussed being on the set of "Dead Man's Chest" on the first day. He explained that he was "very, very scared," and this prompted him to burst out with Jones' terrifying Scottish accent that "Pirates of the Caribbean" fans know and love.