Derek Jacobi was wary of Johnny Depp

25 May 2019

Derek Jacobi was worried Johnny Depp would be a "big diva".

Derek Jacobi

The 80-year-old actor had a "lovely" time shooting 'Murder on the Orient Express' with frequent collaborator Sir Kenneth Branagh, and he admitted although he was initially "wary" of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star, he was glad to discover his fears were unfounded.

He told Total Film: "It was lovely. We played games and we laughed. It was just lovely, lovely. I was a bit wary of Johnny at first. I was playing Johnny Depp's butler and I didn't know thow that would go - big star, big diva. But he was lovely.

"In the tiny bit I had with him, he had to shout at me and he said to Ken, 'I can't shout at Derek Jack-o-bee.' I fell in love with him immediately."

Despite his years of success, the 'I, Claudius' actor insists he has simply been "lucky" and has never had much say when it comes to the roles he's tackled over the years.

He said: "I've never chosen my roles, they've chosen me! You go where the work is. Most actors are jobbing actors.

"The phone rings, it's your agent, they want you to do this part, they'll send you the script... if you hate it, don't do it.

"Most actors are not in the world of turning work down. I've been a very lucky actor in my career."

And Jacobi is particularly grateful for his early years working in the theatre.

He gushed: "As a young actor in the theatre, I worked with the bests - the Oliviers, the Gielguds, the Schofields, the Guinnesses, the Albert Finneys, the Maggie Smiths. And I was in my twenties when all that happened. It was a wonderful learning experience."