Richard Griffiths Joins The Cast Of "Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"

by Oliver Lyttelton
October 27, 2010 1:41 AM
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He Means To Have You, Even If It Must Be Burglary

It can't be the worst thing in the world for an actor to be eternally associated with one of the most quotable films of all time, but all the same, "Withnail & I" must be something of an albatross for veteran British actor Richard Griffiths. Despite an illustrious stage career, including stacks of awards for his performance in Alan Bennett's "The History Boys," and screen roles in the likes of "Harry Potter" and Martin Scorsese's upcoming "Hugo Cabret," he's never quite been able to escape the shadow of his great performance as the lascivious Uncle Monty in the cult 80s British comedy film.

Fortunately for Griffiths, he's got another chance in an upcoming high-profile film. Empire spoke to Geoffrey Rush at the London Film Festival premiere for "The King's Speech," and the actor revealed that he'd recently been acting opposite another on-screen king: George II, who'll be played by Griffiths in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."

We can't imagine it'll be a huge role, but it seems to confirm reports that the film will be partly set in Britain. Griffiths is the latest addition to a fairly strong cast which, aside from the returning stars Rush and Johnny Depp, also includes Ian McShane, Penelope Cruz, Stephen Graham and newcomers Sam Clafin and Astrid Berges-Frisby. We probably speak for everyone when we say that we've suffered from 'Pirates' fatigue after the second and third films, but we've heard some relatively good buzz from people on the production, with director Rob Marshall coming in for a good deal of praise. Maybe this'll prove to be a pleasant surprise when it hits theaters on May 20th next year?