Sam Claflin Reveals Johnny Depp’s Unexpected Reaction to Seeing Him Again After 15 Years

• Collider's Steve Weintraub talks with Sam Claflin for Ebenezer.
• Claflin discusses reuniting with Johnny Depp after 15 years and what it's like working opposite him on set.
• He also teases his risky, wild role in Taylor Sheridan's F.A.S.T.

Fifteen years later, Sam Claflin reunites with his Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides co-star Johnny Depp in their upcoming take on a holiday classic, Ebenezer. In this interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, he recalls the very first table read for his feature debut in the Disney franchise, sitting between Depp and Oscar winner Penélope Cruz, and how it felt to finally meet again to play his nephew Fred in the film.

Directed by Ti West, audiences return this month to Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic with Depp as the embittered Ebenezer Scrooge, a man so miserly the Ghosts of Christmas Past (Andrea Riseborough), Present (Tramell Tillman), and Future (Robert Strange) must pay him a surprise visit to forever change the course of his life — for better or worse. Ebenezer also stars Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, and Daisy Ridley.

While talking with Weintraub, Claflin also discusses his own past characters, and which of them he would and wouldn’t like to share a meal with, what it’s like working opposite Depp on set, and shares an interesting tease for his role in Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming action thriller, F.A.S.T.

Sam Claflin Reunites With Johnny Depp 15 Years After 'Pirates of the Caribbean'

"I feel like I belong now."

COLLIDER: Which of the characters that you've previously played would you love to have dinner with, and which would you absolutely refuse to spend an evening with?

SAM CLAFLIN: Well, I know who I'd refuse to spend an evening with, and that would be Oswald Mosley from Peaky Blinders. I'm not sure he and I would have much to discuss — or maybe we'd have a lot to discuss over dinner, but I don't know that I'd get a word in.

Who would I most like to have dinner with? I feel like Finnick, maybe. I think he’d be up there because I think as someone who's won the Hunger Games and experienced everything that he's experienced, and being so kind of open and loving and fun and cool as he was — my performance was [laughs] — I think he'd have a lot to talk about at the dinner table.

Your first film role was Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. What was it like your first day on that set, working with Johnny, and, cut to now, first day on set, working with Johnny? Because I can only imagine that on Pirates, you're nervous. You're like, “What the hell is this?”

CLAFLIN: Before I got on to set, for both films, actually, and it's not always you get this opportunity, but you do a read-through of the script. So I remember on Pirates, I’d just arrived in Hawaii like a rabbit in headlights. I didn't know where I was, didn't know what was happening. I remember I walked into the room when we were doing the read-through, which was the very next morning, and I was sat next to Penélope Cruz on one side and Johnny Depp on the other. And yeah, I mean, I was terrified, and barely looked up from the script, just shaking the whole way. I remember him sort of patting me on the back at one point, basically saying, “It's okay.” Like, “Calm, calm.” [Laughs]

And this time, again, it was a read-through, the first time I’d seen him for like 15, 16 years, and before, as he sort of sat down, I think everyone was already sat down at that point, but he just sort of looked around, saw me, double-taked, and reached across Ian McKellen to shake my hand, and was like, “Good to see you.” And I was like, “He remembers me!” There was a moment of going, “Okay, I belong. I feel like I belong now.” It was a really nice touch. Yeah, such a gent. Such a great guy.

One of the things that I've seen with Johnny is he likes to do different things on different takes. He likes to shake it up. What is it like working against him when he is sort of unpredictable?

CLAFLIN: Actually, there was a lot of playfulness that he brought to this one, too. I was going to say this one felt a little less Jack Sparrow, actually, and a little more concentrated, but no, I lie. There was a prop of a dead goose, or geese, which he had maybe too much fun with during set. I think it keeps you on your toes, and it didn't really affect me in a negative way. If anything, it just brought more playfulness and joy to the set in general.

He's someone who doesn't take things too seriously, and I love that in him. Because I think filmmaking should be fun and should be enjoyable. It should be as pleasant an experience as possible. He's the ringleader. He's the one leading the charge. So, yeah, he's a great role model.

Sam Claflin Took a Major Career Risk With Taylor Sheridan’s 'F.A.S.T.'

"I hope it pays off."

IPA/INSTARimages.com

I'm a big fan of Taylor Sheridan, and I believe he wrote the script for F.A.S.T., which is something that you filmed. What can you tease about that project? Because Ben [Richardson], who directed it, has directed a lot of Taylor's work on TV, and I'm so curious.

CLAFLIN: Ben's definitely the man to have shot this story and this world. I don't think I can say anything at the moment. All I know is it was an amazing experience, an amazing script, a great cast, and it was a hell of a lot of fun.

It's a very, very different role for me to be doing, and I am so curious to see it. People I know have seen it, and are like, “Wow. Okay. This is wild. Wow, what a departure for you.” So, out of anyone in the cast, I think I'm the one who sort of really took a punt and took a big risk.

I remember Taylor calling me. Because originally I auditioned for one role, and they were like, “Actually, we want you to play this role.” And I was like, “I actually preferred this role!” This is the one I really wanted to do because he's a bit… He’s a wild one, you know, and I think that that gave me a lot of opportunity to have a lot of fun. I took a risk. We'll see how it plays out.

Did you go a little bigger for the performance?

CLAFLIN: Again, I don't want to tease too much. I just had a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun on that job, and I hope it pays off, basically. But the film, I'm excited to see it.

Ebenezer opens in theaters on November 13.

Cast

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  Ebenezer Scrooge

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  Jacob Marley

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  Sam Claflin

  Fred

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  Tramell Tillman

  Ghost of Christmas Present