Since the release of Dead Man’s Chest in 2006, a popular fan theory has surrounded the second Pirates of the Caribbean film. Actor Lee Arenberg, who played Pintel, has ended speculation once and for all.
If you can cast your mind back to 2006, you might remember watching the newest Pirates of the Caribbean film when it came out. Titled Dead Man’s Chest, it featured the return of beloved characters such as Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Kiera Knightley), alongside many of the supporting cast from the first film.
However, the film’s dramatic ending revealed that one more actor had returned for the sequel – and in surprising fashion. SPOILER ALERT: Geoffrey Rush, who is also known for his roles in The King’s Speech and Shine, reprised his role as Captain Hector Barbossa, despite the character’s apparent death in the previous film. Of course, this came as a surprise to fans and the characters alike.
One of the characters present for the surprising reveal was Pintel (Lee Arenberg), a former member of Barbossa’s crew. Over a decade after Dead Man’s Chest was released, Lee (who also played ‘Grumpy’ in Once Upon A Time) dispelled a popular Pirates of the Caribbean fan theory on Twitter.
As the theory goes, the cast was apparently unaware that Rush would be returning, given his character’s fate, meaning their surprised reactions were genuine. It’s a rumour that has made the rounds on the Internet to the point where it was generally believed to be true. Except, it’s not, poppet.
Courageous Nerd Editor-in-Chief Conor O’Brien posed the question to the cast on Twitter, asking: “There’s an old rumour that none of the cast knew about Geoffrey Rush’s return as Barbossa in Dead Man’s Chest. Always wondered if this was true. The reactions on their faces seemed very convincing.” To which Lee Arenberg responded: “Of course we knew!! Gore fired a blank if I remember correctly…to get our shocked looks..”.
So, there you have it. The cast of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest did, in fact, know about the return of Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa. Who would’ve thought?
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