Johnny Depp’s rum-loving, decidedly camp pirate Jack Sparrow is one of film’s most iconic, but once again, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor has insisted that when bosses asked if he was making the character gay, he replied: “Didn’t you know all my characters are?”

Depp, 52, was discussing his career and recent role as mobster Whitey Bulger in Black Mass at the American Film Institute festival in Los Angeles on Sunday when he revealed some lesser known facts about his life in movies.

He might be a leading, if not the leading man, in Disney’s $1 billion plus grossing franchise, but Depp came close to being fired from the set of the first Pirates film because execs thought he was going over the top. Johnny Depp, over the top, what were they thinking?

“It trickled back to me that [former CEO] Michael Eisner went on some sort of bent about how ‘Goddammit, Johnny Depp’s ruining the film! What is that thing? It is drunk, is it gay?’” he said, before recalling a meeting with “the upper echelon”.

“What the f**k are you doing?” he was asked. “When they asked if it was gay, I said: ‘Didn’t you know all my characters are gay?’ I really expected to be fired but I wasn’t for some reason. They were actually gonna put subtitles under my character, they couldn’t understand Captain Jack.”

Black Mass - Trailer 3

Johnny Depp on screen Show all 16 1 /16 Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen Preening: Johnny Depp in 'Mortdecai' Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End' AP Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen With Helena Bonham-Carter in 2007's 'Sweeney Todd' AP Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen Depp in Richard Burton's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' AP Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp with Winona Ryder in ‘Edward Scissorhands’ back in 1990 Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen Depp with short hair in 2009 film 'Public Enemies' AP Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen In 2012's 'Dark Shadows' AP Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen The actor in 'Finding Neverland', 2004 AP Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp stars in 2014 sci-fi thriller 'Transcendence' Alcon Entertainment, LLC. Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp in 2006 film 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' AP Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp as Tonto in 2013 movie 'The Lone Ranger' ©Disney Enterprises, Inc Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp and Amber Heard star in 2011 movie 'The Rum Diary' AP Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz in 2011 film 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' AP Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp stars with Angelina Jolie in 2010 movie 'The Tourist' Rex Feature Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter in a scene from 2010 film 'Alice in Wonderland' AP Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp on screen Johnny Depp stars in Michael Mann's 2009 movie 'Public Enemies'

Fortunately, Black Mass director Scott Hooper thinks his disregard for screen directions and, well, anything but the dialogue, is what makes Depp a “genius”.

“I black out all screen direction. Why should I know what’s supposed to happen? I think it should be much more organic,” he said, adding that he takes many more liberties when playing a fictional character.