The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise took plenty of creative risks, but leaving Johnny Depp’s noseless Jack Sparrow looking like Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones was one they avoided. Released in 2003, The Curse of the Black Pearl was a surprise success for Disney both in terms of box office and critical write-ups. Introducing the world to Elizabeth Swann, Will Turner, and Johnny Depp’s iconic Jack Sparrow, the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was a thrilling, critically acclaimed combination of fast-paced swashbuckling action, bone-chilling horror, and witty one-liners.
The subsequent Pirates of the Caribbean sequels were a disappointment, failing to recapture the magic of the original movie as the franchise took things in a stranger and more convoluted direction. It’s rare for fans to applaud studio intervention, but in the case of Pirates of the Caribbean, executives cut some decisions that could have derailed the finished film.
For example, it’s no secret that the risk-averse Disney initially balked at Johnny Depp’s flamboyant incarnation of Jack Sparrow, convinced audiences would hate the over-the-top character. There’s no doubt that the executives were in the wrong on that one, as Depp’s depiction of Sparrow is now synonymous with the franchise and many fans can’t imagine a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean movie without him. But what readers may not know is that the company did veto some changes that Depp wanted to make to the character, even if they eventually acquiesced to the campy demeanor Depp went with. And one of these changes would have left Sparrow looking exactly like Game of Thrones’ Tyrion Lannister, by chopping off his nose.
Believe it or not, among the more ambitious changes that the actor was not allowed to make to his Pirates of the Caribbean character was Depp’s suggestion that Sparrow is missing his nose, with just a bloody wound in its place. This would have been the source of some physical comedy throughout the series as, as a result of the wound, as Jack Sparrow would become deathly afraid of the common cold, pepper, and anything else that would presumably trouble a nose-less character. Disney turned down the idea, and notably, HBO went on to do the same almost a decade later when production commenced on Game of Thrones.
Although the big-budget fantasy drama seems to share little creative DNA with the more family-friendly Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the creators also opted not to depict Tyrion Lannister (another witty, oft-drunk charlatan who plays every side against each other for his own gain) with the missing nose that he has in the original novel series. In the case of Game of Thrones the decision was based on the show’s limited budget, whereas Disney explain why they decided against Depp’s suggestion. But both Game of Thrones and Pirates of the Caribbean almost cut the noses off their duplicitous but charming antihero lead, a move that was wisely avoided as it made the superficially similar characters look a little less like they were borrowing from one another (even though Jack Sparrow and Tyrion Lannister both crack wise, double-cross, and cheat death on regard occasions).