Disney franchises have hosted a wide variety of stars over time. Between its mainline Disney projects and its subsidiary Pixar Animation Studios, the company sees major names populate both live-action and voice-acting projects. The Toy Story movies have particularly stacked casts, with Academy Award winner Tom Hanks opposite Tim Allen. Its sequels also included the likes of celebrities like Joan Cusack and Michael Keaton. Now owning Marvel, Disney has attached a host of stars to MCU projects, such as Sir Anthony Hopkins and Robert Downey Jr.
Disney is also unafraid to cast stars who fall outside the typical Hollywood casting, expanding their horizons to those primarily known in non-acting capacities. For example, the studio cast Grammy-winning musician Beyoncé in their 2019 remake of The Lion King. Before voicing Nala, Beyoncé had notably been in the movie Dreamgirls, but her career is still focused on music. Other famous singers have also been in Disney movies, including Shakira in Zootopia. Now, it’s been revealed that rock musician Ozzy Osbourne was almost in a major Disney live-action franchise.
Ozzy Osbourne Could Have Been In Pirates Of The Caribbean
Sharon Osbourne Didn’t Let Him Audition
Ozzy Osbourne could have been in Pirates of the Caribbean if Sharon Osbourne had not gotten in the way. Following the release of the first installment in 2003, the movie series has spawned five films, with Pirates of the Caribbean 6 currently in development. The cast was composed of many notable stars, including Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley.
In an interview on The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan (via Entertainment Weekly), Sharon explained that Ozzy could have been cast in Pirates of the Caribbean. Ozzy was offered the opportunity to read for a part, but Sharon ultimately said no to him auditioning. In retrospect, Sharon feels that Ozzy could “have been perfect” for the part, and also pointed out that Depp “wanted Keith to be a pirate.” Check out the full quote from Sharon Osbourne below:
“He got offered to go and read for Pirates of the Caribbean and I’ve never said this to anyone. I said no. Now wouldn’t he have been perfect? Because when Johnny … wanted Keith to be a pirate, you remember?”
Our Take On Ozzy Osbourne’s Missed Opportunity For Pirates Of The Caribbean
Other Musicians Were In The Pirates Movies
The Keith in question is Keith Richards, who later played Captain Teague in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Former Beatle Paul McCartney also appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Men Tell No Tales. This created a trend of famous music stars playing roles in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, a theme that could have continued should Ozzy Osbourne have auditioned and been cast.
Source: The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan (via EW)