Flashback: Johnny Depp Likens His Kids to Drunks

Before Johnny Depp's anticipated upcoming Disney action-western The Lone Ranger storms theaters this summer, let's take a trip back to his first Disney film in 2003 and discover why he likened his children to drunks.

In a reversal of the typical course of action, Disney launched the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise in 2003 based on a ride at its theme parks. Throw in Johnny Depp at the helm—of the ship and the franchise—and a $3.7-billion-plus franchise was created.

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As Depp is interviewed about the film, he discusses how his young daughter, then four years old, accepted him while he was in costume as the gritty "Captain Jack Sparrow."

"She absolutely loved it," the then 39-year-old actor reveals. "...When she first came to visit me...I came to the trailer and she was inside and walked in with all this stuff [on], all greasy and dirty, and she just loved it—so much so that when people ask her what her daddy does, she tells them that he's a pirate."

Perhaps his daughter's appreciation for her seeing her father as a pirate resided in her resemblance to the sea scoundrels, as Depp draws a parallel between drunks and his young children when discussing parenting.

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"I think probably the best preparation that one can have for becoming a parent is to have spent a lot of time around drunks, reprobates," he says with a smile that reveals the gold cap on his tooth that hadn't yet removed since production had ceased.

"...When your child gets to about one year old, when they begin to walk, they're little terrors. You have to always have your hand on them 'cause they're constantly bumping in to things or breaking things or laughing and crying. So, I always thought they were like...being around a tiny drunk."

As for the reprobate he played in the film, Depp reveals where he sought inspiration for his unique take on his pirate character: a rock star and a cartoon character.

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"I started thinking about pirates of the eighteenth century and I thought...they were the rock 'n' roll stars of the era, and then I got to thinking, 'Well, who's the coolest rock 'n' roll star that ever lived?'...and to me it's Keith Richards, hands down," he recounts.

"So, he became the...foundation for the character. ... There was [also] a cartoon character that I remembered as a kid who's this really cool skunk who really thought he was a ladies' man. His name was Pepé La Pew (from Looney Tunes)."

Watch the full flashback for Depp's behind-the-scenes take at Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

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His latest Disney film, The Lone Ranger, is in theaters July 3.