Greg Ellis hopes his character Groves in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie series is able to make a turnaround in the possible upcoming “Pirates” films.
“I’ve always wanted to be a pirate,” he said. “I’m [always asking] Terry [Terry Rossio, co-writer of the ‘Pirates’ series] to make Groves a pirate…Whenever Groves sees Jack Sparrow get away, he looks with longing. He says, ‘That’s got to be the best pirate I’ve ever seen.’ I think he’d want to be a pirate.”
Ellis said he had no idea the “Pirates” franchise would become as huge as it has when he was auditioning for the first film, but the ride thus far has been “fantastic.” Groves has a large role in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” and he has an ending that might make some of his fans sad, but Ellis sees the fun in it. “It’s such a great way to go out,” he said, “holding up the Union Jack, shouting in the name of the king.”
When he’s not making movies on set, he’s giving voices to characters in a lot of popular cartoons and video games, such as “Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated,” “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,”Phineas and Ferb,” “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “Ben 10: Ultimate Alien,” “Dragon Age II,” “God of War III” and many more.
“It’s a nice experience to do something different,” he said. “For instance, with ‘Scooby Doo,’ I never thought that I’d be working on a show that I used to watch as a kid…On ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold,’ there is such a good cast of actors. Andrea Romano, the casting director, is a legend. And I get to play so many roles. I’ve played about 40 roles [on ‘Batman’]–Dr. Canus, Mr. Mind, Dr. Fate–it’s a lot of fun.”
It’s also a unique experience for his children, who are always excited when they hear their father’s voice through a character. “Anytime I’m a part of a project, it’s fun to see how excited they are,” he said. “My youngest loves ‘Cars’, and it’s definitely my favorite Pixar movie…I was in ‘Cars 2′, I played Nigel Gearsley, and he was very excited about that.”
Current projects for Ellis include doing voice acting for the next season of “Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated” as well as producing and acting in a special for English television that will also feature Stephen Fry and a certain American actor who has worked with Ellis before (Ellis wouldn’t reveal who the actor is.)
Hopefully, though, Rossio will finally grant Ellis’ wish and make Groves the pirate that he longs to be.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES is Available on Blu-ray 3D & Blu-ray Hi-Def Combo Pack!
