Davy Jones is one of the most exciting and memorable characters from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. First appearing in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest, and then returning for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, working as one of the biggest villains that sails the seas.
Played excellently by Bill Nighy, Davy Jones has a brilliant mix of his personality and body language, as well as the incredible aesthetic of his tentacles. With the dangerous crew of the Flying Dutchman behind him and the ability to summon a Kraken, Davy Jones is quite the pirate force to be reckoned with.
He became the sort of villain that fans love to hate, simply because of how charismatic the character was, as well as the emotional storyline that his past had. Despite being heavily featured in both movies, there are moments people missed from this character, and in this list, we will reveal 10 of them.
Blue Eyes
Ever wondered why a creature like Davy Jones randomly has baby blue eyes? The reason for that is because that is the natural eye color of Bill Nighy, who is the man behind the tentacles. However, that actually wasn’t the original plan for the character.
As was revealed by Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, the character was going to have “black eyes as soulless as a shark’s.” While that would have certainly increased things in the fear department, having the blue eyes really did add a lot of personality and a real human touch to the character.
Connection With Snakes
Something that many fans might have missed about Davy Jones was that he appears to like snakes. There are numerous different examples of the animal, such as the fact that they are on the cuffs of his coat, and even the chest where his heart lives inside has a snake on it.
The snake connection goes further than that though, as his ship, the Flying Dutchman also has a painting of the skeleton of a sea serpent on it. It isn’t clear why this connection is made, perhaps just for aesthetic purposes or as a link to his face, but there are certainly plenty of them around.
Not In The Original Ride
Something people might not know about the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie, in general, is that it was actually based on a theme park ride. The original attraction in the Disney parks served as the inspiration for the story and some of the characters in the first film.
However, Davy Jones’ inclusion in the sequel was a departure from that idea. He was never part of the attraction and was just created for the sake of the film. However, he was later added into the ride as a way of tying it together with the later movies for guests.
Ride Music
While Davy Jones himself wasn’t originally part of the ride, his character did pay tribute to the classic Disney attraction in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. Even though it wasn’t Davy himself, but the movie, the moment came when Hai Peng ended up going into Davy Jones’ locker.
When it reaches World’s End and plummets down a waterfall, music from the ride begins to play in the background. It’s a subtle nod to the attraction and one that only fans of the ride would ever know, but if you listen out for it then it can be heard.
His Color
Many people will not know what color Davy Jones is truly supposed to be, as it actually takes inspiration from quite a random idea. After spending such a long time underwater, the sea has clearly taken its toll on the ship and those which live upon it.
That’s why Davy Jones has a brownish tint to him, with the inspiration for his skin color coming from a coffee-stained Styrofoam cup, of all things! That was the color that got scanned for the digital renderings so that the computers could create the same color repeatedly.
Liar’s Dice
One of the most memorable scenes that Davy Jones is involved in, comes when he plays a game of Liar’s Dice with Will Turner and Bootstrap Bill onboard the Flying Dutchman. It’s an iconic moment, with people betting souls on board the ship to pass the time.
But this isn’t just a random game that was created for the fun of the film. Liar’s Dice actually comes from South America originally and has also been played across Europe and Asia as well. While the game was tweaked slightly for the movie, it is something that many people have played.
Davy’s Pipe
The character of Davy Jones has tons of detail placed into it, which is why it’s so easy to miss small things. One detail that many missed was in regards to the pipe that Davy has. It’s not shown too frequently, but when it pops up the detail is astonishing.
The pipe is actually made up of coral that has grown through the Flying Dutchman as the ship has slowly decayed. It’s a smart detail to continue the feeling that everything to do with the crew is part of the ship, not just their bodies and clothes.
Little Make-Up
Davy Jones is, visually, one of the most impressive characters in the entire Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Everything about him looks incredibly realistic, almost like it was achieved with make-up or practical effects because of the detail.
However, this character is actually just a perfect example of how far visual effects and digital transformations had reached by this point. The vast majority of his look was done via motion capture, with lots of dots being stuck to Bill Nighy’s face, which is incredibly impressive.
Prosthetics
While the vast majority of Davy Jones was done through motion capture and computer technology, there was one specific scene where Bill Nighy had to wear prosthetics. The scene came when Will Turner had to steal the key to the Dead Man’s Chest from inside Davy Jones’ tentacles.
Jones hid the key inside his own ‘beard’ as a method of keeping them safe, but Will manages to sneak through while he is asleep to grab them quickly. Obviously, because Orlando Bloom was putting his hand into something, prosthetics were used to make it look as realistic as possible.
He’s Not Dead?
While it seemed pretty concrete that Davy Jones was dead, that might not be the case. In a post-credits scene after Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, it appeared that he was back, potentially teasing a return in any future projects.
He didn’t appear in the flesh, but instead, his shadow was shown, as well as his claw hand. The moment ended up being just a nightmare for Will Turner, or so he thought. The floor next to the bed just so happened to be wet and had a few shells, leaving a tease that it might have been more than just a dream.
