Meet Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Actor Sam Clafin who portrays Missionary Philip Swift

Meet Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Actor Sam Clafin who portrays Missionary Philip Swift

Q: How did the role in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” come about for you?

A: I did an audition for “Pirates” in London and very soon after I was about to start another job and they quickly realized they needed to get me out to L.A. as soon as possible to meet the director and the producers, just in case something would come of it. To be honest, though, I didn’t think I would get it. But I rushed to LA to meet Rob (Marshall) and Jerry (Bruckheimer) and the Disney executives and did an audition for them. I was on the way to the airport when I met them and they were like ‘have you got your suitcase with you?’

Q: Did you bring the right clothes?

A: In a sense, yes. I basically turned up in a T-shirt and they said ‘can you put a shirt on?’ And I was like, “Yeah, I think I have a shirt somewhere, what color do you want… grey or white?” So I did the audition and headed for the airport. I actually heard that I was still in the running about six weeks later when I was in South Africa working.

Q: What were you doing in South Africa?

A: A TV film called “The Lost Future.” I was there for six weeks and in the middle of that I heard that they were still interested and they wanted to give me a screen test when I was back in London. I came back, did the screen test and I got a phone call from Rob saying “congratulations.”

Q: That’s a life changing moment. Where were you when you got the phone call?

A: I was actually in makeup for another job called “Any Human Heart,” a TV drama, in London. It was my first day at work when I got the call from Rob saying “congratulations, you’ve got ‘Pirates!’” I was with the director and producers on “Any Human Heart” and they celebrated as much as I did! In fact, I remember Rob saying to me, “Call your parents and tell them. Have a night on the town and celebrate. Enjoy!” So I did just that. I went out with my agent and a few friends and had a few drinks.

Q: Why do you think they chose you?

A: I have no idea why they chose me—I’d love to know myself! I know that there was at least one other boy involved and it came down to him and me. I’d say we looked quite different, so at the same time, it’s either one or the other. It’s one of those things as an actor, you go into an audition room and you never know why or what it is that they see in you. And I am my own worst critic so I can never see the good things in anything. I can never see the positives. Actually, I was really ill when I had my screen test. I had a really bad cold; I’d just come from sunny South Africa to England, and all of a sudden this cold hit me at the screen test. I was like, “Oh God, nobody is going to want a snotty Philip.” But somehow I managed to pull it off. And I’m blessed to be offered the part.

Q: When did you first meet Johnny Depp?

A: I met Johnny at the read-through in Hawaii. We had two weeks of prep before we started filming. In the first week Johnny and Penélope [Cruz] arrived, and then Stephen Graham, Ian McShane and everybody else, and we all sat in a room around tables and read the script aloud. For the first time, we all heard each other and saw each other. And so I met Johnny that day and we went out for dinner that evening as well…like a meet and greet, which was obviously very exciting as an actor. Johnny is a really lovely guy—he couldn’t be nicer. And obviously, he’s a fantastic actor, one of the very best. It’s a privilege to be working with him. Johnny and everyone have been so welcoming; they really go out of their way to make you feel a part of it.

Q: How would you describe your character?

A: My character is a youthful missionary who is very naïve to the ways of the world and how it works. Basically, through the journey to The Fountain of Youth his eyes are opened to reality.

Q: How does “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” compare with the first three films?

A: I like to think that this one is actually getting back to basics, in a sense. I think there are a lot of characters developed and this is based hugely on the relationships between the pirates and the officers and how my character relates to the pirates. Obviously a missionary on a pirate ship is a nice juxtaposition—this is a man who believes that everything these pirates do is wrong. And then he’s thrown on board with the pirates and as an actor that gives you a nice element to play with—there’s the fear that these people could kill me at any moment.

Q: Are you ready for all the fanfare that comes with a big film like this when it opens?

A: It’s a question I get asked frequently but actually I’m not sure what it’s going to bring. I’ve been told to get my helmet on and be ready! But until it actually happens it’s hard to plan ahead. It’s hard to plan for what might or might not happen. And I think the moment you get expectations of what it could be like is the moment you could potentially get disappointed. So I take every day as it comes, and see what happens. But so far, my life hasn’t changed that much, other than the fact of talking to you guys on this set. I remember my agent coming out to L.A. and saying, “How much has your life changed? You’ve got press covering you in L.A.; you’ve been to Hawaii. You’ve met all these people… What’s it like?” Honestly, I’m the same old Sam—nothing’s changed. I was sitting with him having a drink when Penélope Cruz walked into the restaurant and she was like, “Sam!” And my agent said, “You can’t tell me it’s not changed!” And I was like, “I can’t believe that just happened. I can’t believe she just came over and said ‘hello.’ I thought she would ignore me!” And he said, “Don’t ever change.” But the thing is I’m still really awed by all of this. I’m still pinching myself every day on set, when I visit these fantastic locations and meet this amazing people.

Q: Does it helps that Astrid Bergès-Frisbey is going through the same thing?

A: Absolutely. I met Astrid at the screen test and we stayed in touch. We swapped Skype names and became online friends—as everyone does now. And then we both got parts on “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and it was fantastic, and we were both excited together. I got to Hawaii a couple of weeks before she did and I was telling her ‘Johnny is great! He’s really lovely. Penélope Cruz is lovely—you’ll love her. You speak Spanish and she’s Spanish. You’ll get on like a house on fire.’ So we sort of went through every step of the way together, which is really nice. And we are still good friends and talk a lot, so it’s all good.

Q: Where are you from?

A: Norwich in Norfolk. But I’ve been living in London for the last four years.

Q: And where did the acting come from originally? Are there any actors in your family?

A: Not at all. Although my grandfather was part of an acting company when he was in the Navy, so he was very pleased when I wanted to get into this—he was very supportive and so were my parents. But I played football (soccer) for 16 years of my life, and that’s what I was going to be, a professional footballer, and that’s what I was going to do. But I broke my ankle and I remember sitting and watching a school show with my mom and she said, “You should try this; you would enjoy it. You should try for the next show.” At first it was “no way!” but then I did—the show was “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

Q: Who did you play?

A: I played Priest 3 or something. And I couldn’t hit a note to save my life. I was 15.

Q: What happened with your plans to be a footballer?

A: Well, the acting started to take over my life. I’d broken my ankle but I could still act. And I was quite short at 16 and I think I realized that I was less and less likely to make it as a footballer and that maybe I should concentrate on acting. And the love of acting has grown and grown and I’ve been very lucky along the way. And here I am.

Q: Okay, so what would you chose? Would you rather play for England or be in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”?

A: You know what, it’s a tough call. If you had asked me when I was 16, I would have definitely said playing for England. But at the same time, the career of an actor lasts a lot longer. And also I’m not sure I was good enough to play for England.

Q: At what level did you play?

A: I played for Norwich City youth team and I played for my county as well. So I was playing to a reasonably high standard.

Q: What position were you?

A: All over the place. I played left, back right, back, central, midfield, center back, up front—everywhere. Football was my life and now, luckily, acting has taken over.

Q: You’ve had a fantastic year. You appeared in “The Pillars of the Earth,” “Any Human Heart” and now “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” Eighteen months ago could you have dreamed that would happen?

A: Eighteen months ago I was eating baked beans on toast with my two out of work friends! We were sitting there going, “This is never going to happen.” I’d had an agent for four months and there was no sign of any interest in me and I was like, “Oh God.” And then “The Pillars of the Earth” sparked something and from that the same producers offered me a second job. And Matthew Macfadyen [his co-star in “Any Human Heart”] passed me on an idea for my third job. I said to my agent, “Matthew mentioned me for this project, can I get seen for it?” And I auditioned and auditioned and got that part. Ian McShane was on my first job [“The Pillars of the Earth”] and he’s on “Pirates 4” too. And you just think, “I’m not talented at all—people are just putting in good words for me.” As a young actor, especially at drama school, you do have self doubt—you think you’ve been sussed out, that you can’t act and you’ll never work again. Perhaps it was because nothing I’d done had been shown before I got the other opportunities. But, fingers crossed, hopefully it all leads to bigger and better things. All you can do is live and hope.

Q: Did you have any stunt training before starting the film?

A: I did a lot of training in stage combat. Although as a missionary I don’t get too involved in the fighting side of things. But I did a lot of stage combat and fighting in general. Drama school taught me a lot about how to focus and gave me a lot of training.

Q: There are some big stars in the film—Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, etc. What’s it been like working with them?

A: I’ve been involved with a lot of scenes with Johnny, which has been great, and Ian McShane and obviously all of the other pirates. You have pirates and zombies in one part of the story and my character is heavily involved with them.

Q: What was it like when you arrived on set for the very first day and put the costume on?

A: It was amazing. We were in Hawaii, which is just beautiful. All the other actors were getting into their costumes, the sun was beaming down and coconuts were falling from the trees! It was literally one of the greatest days of my life. We were in Hawaii in the middle of the jungle with these big palm trees. We had two weeks to get to know the island and then all of a sudden you are there, shooting in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The location scouts did a truly amazing job on this. It was a “pinch me” moment. And I’ve had a few of those on this job.

Q: How long did you spend in Hawaii and what was it like shooting there?

A: We were there for about two and a half months shooting on two different islands. One was quite literally paradise—golden sand, waves and palm trees. And then there was Waikiki, which is a tourist attraction and packed with people from all over the world. So it was interesting to see the two different sides of Hawaii. On the last day there I went scuba diving, which was amazing. It was the first time I’d ever scuba dived and we went inside an underwater cave and there were stingrays and all kinds of tropical fish swimming around us. It was an incredible experience.

Q: Did you learn to scuba dive for the film?

A: Yes. When you are shooting underwater, they fix you up with a breathing apparatus and when they say “action” you take it off and swim and when they say “cut” you put it back on again. So you don’t have to keep coming up to the surface.