While most people think of Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom when the Pirates of the Caribbean movies come to mind, Geoffrey's Rush's portrayal of Captain Barbossa stands out all on its own. As far as villains go, Barbossa is a classic. "You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner... you're in one."
But with such an incredible cast it's no wonder that sometimes the bad guy gets overlooked for the hero (or heroes). Barbossa still deserves more credit than he often receives and, if you're looking for a little more information on this new classic pirate, here are just a few fun facts to increase your insight.
His First Name
Though it's not used often (and not at all in the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie) Captain Barbossa, like every pirate ever born, has a first name that does not happen to be "Captain".
The full name of the once Captain of the Black Pearl is Hector. An interesting choice for a pirate with a British accent and an Italian last name, but somehow it seems to fit. One wonders if perhaps the use of Hector would offend Barbossa the same way that Jack Sparrow gets offended when people refer to him without his title of "Captain".
Price On His Head
It is clear throughout the Pirates of the Caribbean series that pirates are outside the law and sought after by both the British Government as well as the East India Trading Company.
But did you know Barbossa has a particular price on his head? The capture of Captain Hector Barbossa is worth 10,000 guineas. If you're wondering if that's a lot, it is. Barbossa has the second-highest prices on his head of any pirate, only lagging behind his nemesis, Captain Jack Sparrow himself.
Grew Up In Bristol
Unlike Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan, Captain Barbossa is not from the Caribbean himself, rather he grew up in England, Bristol to be specific. He lived on a farm with his mother until the age of thirteen when he ran away to make a life for himself on the sea.
Originally he wanted to make an honest go of it, think Captain Norrington in the original Pirates film but found that greater fortunes could be made, and with far less work if one turned to piracy instead. The rest is pirate history.
Favorite Foods
In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Barbossa makes it very clear that the curse on himself and his crew may keep them alive, but it also prevents them from feeling a soft touch, the warmth of the sun, or the pleasure of eating and drinking.
For the entirety of the first film, Barbossa keeps an apple upon his person, hoping it will be the first food he gets to taste when the curse is finally lifted. Along with apples, Barbossa is also known for having quite the taste for caviar as well. Who would need so much treasure if they didn't have refined tastes?
Fingers Post Resurrection
At the end of Curse of the Black Pearl, the curse of the Aztec gold is finally broken and Barbossa and his crew are made mortal once more. This, of course, leads to the death of Captain Barbossa on the Isle de Muerta at the hands of Jack Sparrow.
For fans who have seen the rest of the Pirates series, they know that Barbossa is resurrected at the end of Dead Man's Chest. While it is shocking that he is alive, he looks very much as he did at the end of Curse of the Black Pearl, except for the fact that, post-resurrection, the captain's fingernails are painted black.
Geoffrey Rush Was Not Originally Offered The Role
Today it is all but impossible to imagine anyone but Geoffrey Rush taking on the role of Captain Hector Barbossa. Who else could spar so well with Jack Sparrow, smile so devilishly at Kiera Knightley, or look quite so intimidating with Jack the monkey on his shoulder?
Apparently producers once thought that Robert De Niro could. Lucky for Pirates of the Caribbean fans the famed Godfather II actor turned the role down and Rush became a Disney legend all on his own.
Barbossa's Backstory
The idea that Hector Barbossa was from Bristol and ran away from home to make a life at sea for himself has already been discussed on this list, but what may not be clear is that it was Barbossa himself who wrote this backstory.
Geoffrey Rush came up with the background of his character once he was cast. He very much liked the idea of a young Hector running away to be a cabin boy before beginning to covet the much finger life of a captain, with their riches and lush quarters aboard ship.
The Name Barbossa
The name "Barbossa" meaning, many palm trees, was originally Portuguese. The character Barbossa was originally supposed to be of Italian origin in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
After the casting of Geoffrey Rush, however, plans were adjusted, and the pirate captain was given his English backstory instead. This had nothing to do with Rush's heritage however as Geoffrey Rush himself is not English, but rather is Australian.
The Disney Ride
The original inspiration for the Pirates of the Caribbean films stems from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World, Florida and Disneyland, California.
While the pirate aspect of the ride obviously inspired the films overall, a Pirate Barbossa was not a part of the original animatronic show/ride at the Disney park. After the popularity of the movie franchise exploded, however, a Barbossa character was added to the ride, made to look like actor Geoffrey Rush, in an update in 2006.
The Costume
While Barbossa's costume changes throughout the Pirates of the Caribbean series he is best known for his original outfit including his wide-brimmed black hat and feathers and, of course, the presence of Jack the monkey. Which is pretty standard as far as pirate costumes go. But Disney wanted to take it even further than that.
What fans may not know is that in the original concept art for Barbossa the captain was meant to wear an eye patch as part of his look as well. Maybe Disney decided that made his outfit a bit too on-the-nose.