The red carpet stretched the length of Main Street and was lined with fans packed four to five deep in places, some of whom had been waiting in prime spots along the red carpet since the theme park opened. With the premiere not officially kicking off until 5pm-ish, those patient fans who grabbed a spot when Disneyland opened its doors had been waiting in place for 10+ long, hot hours before they caught their first glimpse of a celebrity. Whether the wait was worth it depended a lot on where you were along the red carpet. Some fans lucked out and got autographs and photos before the stars tired of working the red carpet. Others had to be satisfied with just a wave or a glimpse of a star surrounded by Disney employees.
Branch and Maher play two of Captain Jack Sparrow’s favorite wenches in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, the sequel to the 2003 smash hit, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Both actresses appeared in the first film and will be back for Pirates of the Caribbean #3. Braving the red carpet and the heat, Branch and Maher discussed working on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, and working with Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski.
Life on the Set of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest: Branch, who describes her character as "a wench, a lady of the night so to speak, who’s in love with Johnny Depp," joked that life on the set was really tough. “Well you’re in the Caribbean and you’re in costume on these amazing sets with really gorgeous men so it sucks pretty much,” laughed Branch. “It’s terrible.”
Maher said it’s all very piratey. “Lots of pillaging [and] plundering, you know? Things like that. Lots of rum drinking, cries of ‘Arrrrrgh’ in the middle of the night, wafting into the room. It was great; it was fun.”
Working with Johnny Depp: Branch had nothing but praise for the film’s star. “Honestly, he couldn’t be better. He really is an extraordinarily nice man. He’s wonderful, wonderful.”
Taking Direction from Gore Verbinski: “I was so impressed with him because a movie, a film like this with the scoop of what he has to keep in his mind at any given time with the shots and the various character arcs… it was just amazing to me,” said Maher. “He seemed to do it so effortlessly. It seemed so easy for him. I was thinking, ‘Man people like this should be running the country! They could organize so many things at the same time and keep multi-tasking.’ He was amazing and really sweet, too. I just found him to be a really nice man.”
The Popularity of Pirates: Asked why audiences embraced the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Branch offered an interesting explanation. “I think it’s the fantasy. I think right now there aren’t a lot of films out there that really depict a fantasy world. I think people appreciate it when it’s done. I think that’s what it is.”
Maher said, “I knew it was going to be a great film. I knew Johnny was in it and he’s hilarious, so I knew that. But just the phenomenon that’s taken off, I don’t think anybody could have predicted. I knew that everybody loved pirates but I don’t think I quite knew how much.”
Pirates 4 – The Ladies’ Turn?: Maher had a great idea for a fourth film of the series. “Maybe more wenching, more slapping. Maybe Wenches of the Caribbean. I don’t know (laughing). Maybe I can be the head of the ship in this one. I’ll have to talk to [writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio] about that.”
Up Next for Vanessa Branch: Branch is working on a film with writer/director Marc Klein. “It’s The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing. It’s with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alec Baldwin and I’m basically kind of the antagonist for the script, so it’s a really kind of crazy, sexy, wenchy, out there character. It’s great.”
Branch also recently completed work on an independent film. “I did another project called Shadows of Atticus with Peter Coyote and Jason London. It’s kind of a family film and kind of about relationships and surrounded by animals. I play a vet.”
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