Johnny Depp Reprises Pirates of the Caribbean Role in Make-A-Wish Video for 11-Year-Old Fan

Tommy McArdle
·3 min read
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Johnny Depp got into character as Capt. Jack Sparrow for a good cause.

On Sunday, the YouTube channel "Kraken The Box" operated by an 11-year-old boy named Kori shared a personal video that Depp, 59, recently sent in collaboration with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In the clip, the actor reprised his role from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

"So, Capt. Kori, terribly sorry I missed out on this. Meant to say it, forgot to say it, didn't say it, gonna say it now. Saying it, I'll say it," Depp said in the video, which shows him wearing Jack Sparrow's costume, headscarf, tattoos and all. "I hear tell of something they speak about in the ages of now called the YouTube channel, which I don't understand, but why not?"

Depp goes on to say he "shall be glad to follow your YouTube channel and I shall tell all my friends to follow your Youtube channel."

Kori's YouTube account has gained 176,000 subscribers since the page was created on Nov. 28, largely featuring pirate-themed videos.

"I think will make for a wonderful entertainment expertise momentary lapse of togetherness altogether in one space, but far apart, but then, at the same time, very close," Depp — as the eccentric Jack Sparrow — said of the video sharing platform. "Curious, enduring and strange."

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Johnny Depp Make-A-Wish video as Captain Jack Sparrow
Johnny Depp Make-A-Wish video as Captain Jack Sparrow

Kraken the Box/Youtube

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"I wish you the best of luck. I am your No. 1 fan, Capt. Kori," Depp said to finish the video as he blows a kiss to the camera.

A source close to Depp tells PEOPLE the actor was contacted by Make-A-Wish with "a timely ask," as Kori is in palliative care after undergoing multiple heart surgeries.

Kori is a "massive" fan of Jack Sparrow and frequently watched the Pirates movies "during his multiple heart surgeries and subsequent recovery periods," the source says.

In a separate YouTube video titled "THANK YOU FOR 1000 SUBS!" shared by Kori and his mother last Thursday, Kori's mother confirmed that her son has received two heart transplants in his life and is currently in palliative care.

Johnny Depp "Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" Film - 2017
Johnny Depp "Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" Film - 2017

Peter Mountain/Walt Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

"So we are making the most of whatever time we have left by not going to school — bonus — not really doing any housework, living in our pajamas and just slumming it really," she says in the video. "We're just kind of focusing on making life as good as we possibly can and having as much fun as we can when we can."

Another video shared on Kori's channel on Tuesday shows part of a video call between the boy and Depp, still in character as Jack Sparrow, in which the actor promises to officially name Kori "Capt. Kori."

While Depp's future with the Pirates franchise remains uncertain in the wake of his highly publicized defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard, the actor has a history of making charitable donations to hospitals and visiting with sick children dressed as Jack Sparrow. He earned an Oscar nomination for his character's debut in 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and he last played the part in the 2017 fifth installment.

Those interested in learning more about the Make-A-Wish Foundation can do so on its website.