Jerry: I think part of the success of this film is the fact that we got the very talented Rob Marshall to work with us. It was a real coup for us to ask him and, to our delight, he decided to join the party. And what was great about working with Rob is that he added his own twist to the story and characters and also made it his own.

Keith Richards is back in this film again.
Johnny: It was very strange initially when the main ingredients came up: the idea of mixing Keith Richards and Pepe LePew. I was a little worried about what Keith was going to think; I didn't fear Pepe LePew. But with Keith, for a good portion of the time I was spending with him, I was sponging as much as I possibly could to use for the character. And then when he found out what I'd been doing, it could have gone either way. But he was very nice about it. So to be able to bring him into the fold and do scenes with him was some of the most amazing time.

And how was working with Judi Dench?
Johnny: Well, it's the second time I've been lucky enough to work with Dame Judi Dench — very briefly on Chocolat and very briefly on this. Both were wonderful. She's such a major force: funny, smart, everything. I got to dance with her on Chocolat, briefly, and I got to bite her hear on this one. What's next?

Do you think you have a responsibility to bring out the hero in Jack?
Johnny: The only responsibility, really, is to deliver something that's fresh each time, or something new. The real responsibility is to entertain an audience, to try and make them laugh. Already starting out as a pirate, you're not on good footing in terms of having a positive influence. If a pirate is too good, he'd probably be thrown overboard. I think my only responsibility is to try and invent new situations, and new bits and pieces that are entertaining.

It was like being at Disneyland every
day on this set.

Astrid: I saw it when I was 16 too, and I was crazy about pirates. The entire movie is so well done, and the way Johnny creates this special hero. I had never seen a hero like that in movies before. And when I got the part, it was unbelievable. It felt like a dream. And I never thought making a movie that was part of a franchise would be so much fun. For example, when I got to the set I wanted to see the pirate ship, and I was like a 5-year-old girl, running everywhere looking to see every detail of this incredible ship — a real one that they made.

Sam: Spending three weeks on that boat — I just thought, "I'm living The Goonies!" And I enjoyed every single moment. It was nice especially to share with Astrid, since both of us were in deer-in-headlights mode for the majority of it. At the same time, everyone was so encouraging that it helped the nerves go away.

Penelope: I was also a big fan of the first three movies, because of what Johnny created, this iconic character. I mean, everybody falls in love with Jack! It's really incredible what he has done with this character. And for me, it's the first time I got to do something like this. It was like being at Disneyland every day on this set, and to go to all of those amazing locations. It was great to wake up to go to work every day. I would love to do more action roles.

How about doing action scenes in the early stages of pregnancy?
Penelope: Rob, Johnny, Jerry and the studio knew before we started to shoot, and the arrangements could not have been better. I will never forget it in my life: to be working and to be so protected and taken care of by all of them every single step of the way made it the most special movie I've done to date. And to see how much they cared about me being protected meant so much to me.

When you’re on location it does 90 percent of the
acting for you.

Johnny: You know, I hate it whenever you have some sort of species — any insect or animal that has not only more legs than you, but bits that stick out the front to taunt you as it's about to bite you with its ass. And they're quite big, crawly, horrible things in Hawaii. Yeah, I was in fear.

Astrid: But it was fantastic, because when we shot the Fountain of Youth on the soundstage, we knew how it really smelled. On the set all the water was chlorinated, but we could imagine the real smell. And in L.A. they recreated exactly the same beach at Universal Studios — it was incredible. We had been to the real one in Hawaii before, which was marvellous.

Penelope: It was very impressive to see that they built the whole beach there in L.A. 10 minutes from our house. Then we went to Puerto Rico and ended up here at Pinewood Studios with the Fountain of Youth on the Bond soundstage. And it really helps your imagination to have been in all of those locations. I really loved the jungle and the beach in Hawaii — being in nature all day.

From here you're taking this film to Cannes.
Johnny: And I hope they hate it! Actually it's an interesting idea to make a film that everyone would hate. To go out of your way to make sure everyone will hate it. I've done that before, haven't I? We don't want to mention the film. Sorry, I'm digressing. With an arena such as Cannes, to be able to show your film on that grand scale is pretty incredible. I feel very fortunate to be invited there, and I just hope we win!

DORCHESTER, LONDON • 12.May.11

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