Let’s be honest. By the time 2017 rolled around, the Pirates franchise was feeling a little salty. We’d seen the Fountain of Youth, mermaid attacks, and more double-crosses than a back-alley poker game. But when the Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales cast finally hit the screen, it wasn't just another payday for Johnny Depp. It was a weird, sprawling attempt to reset the clock. You had the old guard returning, sure, but the new additions brought a specific kind of intensity that the series hadn't seen since Bill Nighy’s Davy Jones stopped playing the organ.
Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow is the sun this solar system orbits around. That’s a given. However, in Dead Men Tell No Tales (or Salazar’s Revenge if you’re reading this in the UK), the character felt different. He was down on his luck. Actually, he was a total mess. He’d traded his compass for a bottle of rum. While some critics felt the performance was leaning a bit too hard into the "drunk uncle" trope, Depp’s chemistry with the new blood actually kept the ship afloat.
Javier Bardem and the Weight of the Dead
If there is one person who absolutely walked away with this movie, it’s Javier Bardem. Playing Captain Armando Salazar, Bardem brought a level of genuine, bone-chilling creepiness that was miles ahead of Blackbeard from the fourth film. He’s a relentless hunter. A ghost. A man literally falling apart at the seams.
Bardem isn’t new to playing villains—look at No Country for Old Men or Skyfall—but Salazar is a different beast entirely. The way his hair floats in the air as if he’s permanently underwater was a CGI masterstroke, but the performance underneath that digital ink was all Bardem. He makes you believe in the vendetta. When he spits out "Jack Spar-row," you can practically feel the salt spray and the centuries of hatred. It’s not just a cartoon villain; it’s a man possessed by a single, destructive purpose.
Interestingly, Bardem’s wife, Penélope Cruz, was the female lead in the previous installment, On Stranger Tides. There’s a fun bit of Hollywood trivia there. They kept the franchise in the family. Bardem actually spent hours in the makeup chair every morning, even though so much of his look was eventually handled by the visual effects team at Moving Picture Company (MPC). He wanted the physicality to be real. You see that in his limp. You see it in the way he tilts his head.
The Next Generation: Brenton Thwaites and Kaya Scodelario
Every long-running franchise eventually realizes it needs a "youth injection." For the Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales cast, that fell on the shoulders of Brenton Thwaites and Kaya Scodelario.
Thwaites plays Henry Turner. Yes, that Turner. He is the son of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. It’s a heavy mantle to pick up. Orlando Bloom left big boots to fill. Henry is the emotional anchor of the film; his entire goal is to break the curse of the Flying Dutchman and free his father. Thwaites plays him with a certain earnestness that contrasts well with Jack’s cynicism. He’s the "straight man" in a world of lunatics.
👉 See also: Kate Moss Family Guy: What Most People Get Wrong About That Cutaway
Then you have Kaya Scodelario as Carina Smyth.
Carina is probably the most underrated character in the entire five-movie run. She’s an astronomer. A horologist. In the 18th century, that meant everyone thought she was a witch. Scodelario brings a sharp, intellectual edge to the cast that was sorely missing. She isn't just a damsel. In fact, she’s usually the smartest person in the room, even when that room is a sinking ship or a jail cell. Her dynamic with Geoffrey Rush’s Barbossa provides the film's most surprising emotional payoff. Honestly, that twist regarding her parentage caught a lot of people off guard in 2017.
The Return of the Captains
Geoffrey Rush is Hector Barbossa. You can’t have a Pirates movie without him. Well, you could, but why would you want to? In this film, Barbossa has become "The Pirate King" in all but name. He’s rich. He’s gaudy. He has a golden leg and a fleet of ships.
But Rush does something subtle here. He shows a man who has reached the top and realized it’s lonely. When he encounters Salazar, he realizes his empire is made of glass. The interaction between Rush and Bardem is a masterclass in screen presence. Two titans of cinema just chewing the scenery in the best way possible.
And we have to talk about Kevin McNally.
Joshamee Gibbs is the glue. He has appeared in every single movie alongside Depp. McNally’s Gibbs is the audience’s surrogate. He’s tired, he’s loyal, and he’s perpetually confused by Jack’s plans. Without Gibbs, Jack Sparrow is just a crazy guy in a hat. With Gibbs, Jack is a Captain.
✨ Don't miss: Blink-182 Mark Hoppus: What Most People Get Wrong About His 2026 Comeback
A Surprise Cameo from Rock Royalty
One of the weirdest and most delightful additions to the Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales cast was Sir Paul McCartney. Following in the footsteps of Keith Richards (who played Jack’s father, Captain Teague), McCartney appears as Uncle Jack.
He’s in a jail cell. He’s singing a song. He tells a joke.
It’s a brief moment, but it cements the franchise’s connection to rock and roll history. Jack Sparrow was always modeled after a rock star, so having the Beatles and the Rolling Stones represented in his family tree just makes sense. McCartney reportedly loved the experience, even though he was barely recognizable under the layers of prosthetics and pirate grime.
The Production Reality
The directors, Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, were famous for Kon-Tiki. They knew how to film on water. But a Disney blockbuster is a different animal. The cast had to deal with massive delays, including an injury to Johnny Depp’s hand that shut down production for several weeks.
Despite the chaos behind the scenes, the ensemble stayed remarkably tight. Stephen Graham returned as Scrum, providing some much-needed comedic relief. You also had Martin Klebba back as Marty. These recurring actors are what make the world feel lived-in. It’s not just a rotating door of stars; it’s a community of scoundrels.
Why the Cast Matters for the Future
There is a lot of talk about Pirates 6. Will Depp return? Will Margot Robbie take over? The Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales cast actually set up a lot of potential paths.
🔗 Read more: Why Grand Funk’s Bad Time is Secretly the Best Pop Song of the 1970s
The post-credits scene—spoiler alert for a seven-year-old movie—teased the return of Davy Jones. This suggests that the franchise isn't done with the Turner family. The chemistry between Thwaites and Scodelario was solid enough that they could easily lead a new trilogy.
However, the heart of the series remains the interplay between high-stakes supernatural horror and bumbling comedy. This cast nailed that balance better than the fourth film did. They brought back the "scary" elements with the ghost sailors, but they didn't forget that these movies are supposed to be fun.
Key Takeaways from the Ensemble
- Javier Bardem redefined what a Pirates villain could look like by focusing on tragedy rather than just malice.
- Kaya Scodelario introduced a scientific, logical perspective that challenged the supernatural logic of the Caribbean.
- Geoffrey Rush gave Barbossa a definitive, emotional arc that felt like a true completion of a journey started in 2003.
- The Cameos (McCartney) continue the tradition of Jack Sparrow being the ultimate "rock star" of the high seas.
If you’re revisiting the series, pay attention to the smaller players. The crew of the Dying Gull—Jack’s pathetic little ship in this movie—is full of great character actors who sell the idea that being a pirate actually sucks most of the time. It’s dirty, it’s wet, and you’re probably going to get eaten by a ghost shark.
Actionable Next Steps
If you want to dive deeper into the world of the Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales cast, here is what you should do:
- Watch the "making of" featurettes. Specifically, look for the segments on Javier Bardem’s makeup. It’s a masterclass in how practical effects and CGI can coexist.
- Rewatch the first movie and the fifth movie back-to-back. You’ll notice how the directors tried to mirror the structure of The Curse of the Black Pearl. The parallels between Henry/Carina and Will/Elizabeth are intentional and fascinating.
- Check out the actors' other work. If you liked Kaya Scodelario, watch Skins or The Gentlemen (the TV series). If you liked Brenton Thwaites, he leads the show Titans as Dick Grayson. It shows the range these actors brought to the Caribbean.
- Stay for the credits. If you missed the Davy Jones teaser, go find it on YouTube. It changes the entire context of the film’s ending.
The legacy of this cast is that they managed to make a massive, bloated franchise feel personal again. They focused on fathers and daughters, on old debts, and on the price of freedom. Whether we see them again or not, they left their mark on the map.