10 Celebrities In Movies NO ONE Noticed
3. Paul McCartney & Keith Richards - Pirates Of The Caribbean
These two cameos were thanks to the behest of Pirate of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp. Depp apparently made a strong suggestion to the directors that the Rolling Stones guitarist should appear in the film. Taking this suggestion on board, ol' Keef was cast as the star's very own father, and appeared in both the third and fourth films.
He plays the role so well that you would’ve thought he was a trained actor, but he’s actually just a retired drinker and drug user, which fits the vibe of a pirate very well. Depp has often referred to his inspiration for the character Jack Sparrow and talks about how he uses a mix of Keith and Pepé Le Pew from Looney Tune's mannerisms to get into character.
When it came to who would be cast as Uncle Jack, the list was very short, and McCartney was apparently at the top of it.
Once the directors had decided, they had Depp contact the musician because no one else knew how to get in touch. Obviously, Depp had his personal cell number, and the rest is history. The idea of Uncle Jack came about when Keith informed the directors that he would be unable to appear in the movie (At World's End).
In an interview with the Director Joachim Rønning, he commented on how surreal it was shooting with Paul McCartney, and how one scene required the entire set to be quiet while he sang to himself.