Johnny Depp costumed as Captain Jack Sparrow
from Pirates of the Caribbean paid a visit to a children’s hospital in
Vancouver, Canada. Depp is seen shaking hands with and hugging kids presently
being treated at the British Columbia hospital in a video recorded on a
special day.
Even hospital personnel were taken aback.
A representative for BC Children’s Hospital
told CBS News: “The charismatic character charmed patients and their families
alike, leaving smiles and laughter in his wake. He was at the hospital
for more than five-and-a-half hours, never once breaking character.”
Debora Sweeney, the hospital’s vice-president
and chief strategy officer, said, “He was Captain Sparrow the whole time — he
didn’t take a break. He spent time really talking to the patients, to their
families.”
The 54-year-old spent his time taking photos,
amusing kids and their families, and engaging in foam sword fights with some of
the patients. Depp quips in the footage when greeting fans, “I have no sword, I
come in peace.”
Depp also said some encouraging remarks in
hushed tones: “Be brave, keep going. Just really these messages of strength.”
On their Facebook page, the BC Children’s
Hospital Foundation posted photographs from the occasion. The hospital wrote:
“Patients at BC Children’s Hospital were delighted by a visit today with one of
the world’s most famous pirates, Captain Jack Sparrow. Actor Johnny Depp showed
he has a heart of gold by spending more than 5 hours meeting one-on-one with
every patient, from newborns to teens.”
Patients and relatives appeared to appreciate
the presence of the renowned pirate, with some even describing it as a “dream
come true.”
WHY DID HE DO THAT?
For years now, we’ve seen videos and pictures
of Johnny Depp dressing up as Jack Sparrow and visiting sick children in
hospitals. But he doesn’t do it only because he is a kind person, he has a
deeper reason for doing what he does.
In 2007, when his daughter Lily-Rose Depp was
7 years old, she contracted E. Coli which caused her kidney to fail and she
underwent life-saving treatment at the Great Ormond Street Hospital.
For the next 9 days, Johnny and his then-girlfriend Vanessa Paradis didn’t leave her bedside in the hospital room, and
when she recovered Johnny felt immense gratitude to the people who worked
there.
In 2008 he donated $2 million to the hospital
and then going out dressed as Jack Sparrow to uplift the children and their
parents in what was surely their darkest period, gained a whole new meaning for
him.
He told Graham Norton: “For me, it’s a gift.
They give me the gift. When my daughter was ill in Great Ormond Street it was
the darkest period of my life. I’d always done these visits but after that
experience, the visits became more and more important.
“The kids are so courageous but to be able to
bring a smile or a giggle to the parents means everything in the world to me.”
