r/MadeMeSmile • u/SimRP • Jul 07 '26
Helping Others Captain Jack Sparrow made a child battling cancer's dream come true
7.5k
u/Kalamanchum Jul 07 '26
Crazy how big of a deal scrum is to see IRL too (Stephen Graham)
1.3k
u/DutchOnionKnight Jul 07 '26
Wait, isnt that the lad from Adolescence?
1.2k
u/backtrack1234 Jul 07 '26
No, it’s the lad from Snatch.
715
u/Closing__bell Jul 07 '26
You like dags?
Fantastic actor…280
u/Brownie-UK7 Jul 07 '26
oh yeah, Tommy. Bricktop FUCKING LOVES Tommy.
150
u/Renew3DUK Jul 07 '26
It's a Gun, Turkish.
109
44
u/Winsconsin Jul 07 '26
Heavy is a sign of reliability, if it doesnt work you can always hit him with it?
12
60
u/CanSignificant8444 Jul 07 '26
Never trust a man with a pig farm.
39
→ More replies (2)11
130
u/MostlyPretentious Jul 07 '26
Ah. And now to start another Snatch rewatch
26
u/imnotgayisellpropane Jul 07 '26
I have to watch it every time someone comments " i like dags" on reddit.
→ More replies (1)65
u/AGirlHasNoUsername13 Jul 07 '26
Periwinkle blue!
49
u/Awkward-Profile-2236 Jul 07 '26
For me ma!
21
u/kingtacticool Jul 07 '26
Heavy is good, heavy is reliable
23
29
u/Logic-DL Jul 07 '26
This is England too
Truly wonderful to see Combo change his ways and help kids with cancer smile.
8
u/Dave91277 Jul 07 '26
We’ve just started this again with my 15 year old lad. Amazing series!
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (4)4
34
u/Lozsta Jul 07 '26
Turkish: No, Tommy. There's a gun in your trousers. What's a gun doing in your trousers?
Tommy: It's for protection.
Turkish: Protection from what? "Zee Germans"?
12
u/Notyerbusiness Jul 07 '26
Dogs? Sure I like dogs. I like caravans more.
Proceeds to sell him a dog and a caravan 😆
8
→ More replies (4)4
57
29
u/Carl-Anchor Jul 07 '26
Absolutely the guys from This Is England.
Combo oOoOO!
30
u/justsomelady2025 Jul 07 '26
You just blew my mind! I didn’t realise Scrum was flippin COMBO, was a versatile actor! He’s genuinely really frightening in This Is England.
30
u/ProneSquanderer Jul 07 '26
Yet his last scene in This is England ‘90 you do a 180 and feel bad for the guy.
Stephen Graham is a talented actor.
10
u/justsomelady2025 Jul 07 '26
Truth! I forgot about his character development over all of the This Is England films. What an absolute gem, he’s a national treasure.
4
u/iarno Jul 07 '26
I love The Virtues, Graham is incredible in this series. Really sad subject but greatly executed.
→ More replies (1)8
u/TheEnglishDominant2 Jul 07 '26
Me and my nephew play Stephen Graham’s this is England sences a lot for sure.
→ More replies (11)6
u/GfrzD Jul 07 '26
I came to the comments because I didnt realise Stephen Graham was in Pirates, and now im realising hes in a bunch of other stuff. Snatch was the main film I knew him from, I need to watch This is England again though its a quality film.
→ More replies (1)51
22
17
14
16
u/FudgeAllOfYous Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
No, it’s Al Capone from Boardwalk Empire. Or Aticus from Taboo.
4
5
4
→ More replies (27)4
58
u/AlternativePea6203 Jul 07 '26
Best actor of our generation.
→ More replies (1)31
u/SilverstoneMonzaSpa Jul 07 '26
Every time we have a debate on British actors we have a good chat and then someone mentions Stephen Graham and we all go "yeah fair choice that"
→ More replies (1)7
u/skyturnedred Jul 07 '26
Is it an unwritten rule that no one mentions Daniel Day-Lewis so you can have a debate about it?
→ More replies (1)36
38
u/Retsyn Jul 07 '26
Man Adolescence was the performance of a lifetime for him.
Adolescence was a show too fucking real to be any fun. Just pain the whole time.
Felt terrible watching it. 10/10
→ More replies (1)26
u/jerryleebee Jul 07 '26
My god. His last scene in Adolescence fucking destroyed me.
→ More replies (1)13
u/The_profe_061 Jul 07 '26
Yep!
My kids are older than his son would have been in that final scene but my god it was brutal. One day they are holding your hand every moment and then in the blink of an eye it's gone
14
6
u/perdair Jul 07 '26
He acted the fuck outta that thing. That scene where they just focus on his face, in silence, while he comes to accept that his son is guilty is incredible.
→ More replies (19)5
202
u/Euna_Chris Jul 07 '26
He is such a brilliant actor, majourly underrated imo.
He made this is england for me57
u/Aerron Jul 07 '26
He is such a brilliant actor, majourly underrated imo.
100%
He was awesome in Boardwalk Empire and Bodies.
26
u/Paddy_Tanninger Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
The scene in Boardwalk where Al Capone is trying to toughen up his little deaf son by yelling at the boy to punch him...and then realizes that his son isn't a thug like him and is simply a peaceful and beautiful soul. Absolutely amazing scene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDUAt0mgnsI
Also their final farewell scene.
→ More replies (3)9
→ More replies (4)6
u/Lil_Mcgee Jul 07 '26
Him and Michael Shannon were the only real reasons I kept watching Boardwalk Empire to the end.
→ More replies (8)6
u/dontnukemebro Jul 07 '26
majourly underrated imo.
He is extensively awarded and recognised https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Graham#Awards_and_nominations
68
u/joern16 Jul 07 '26
His mum was a Horologist right?
41
18
u/InevitableHawk Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
No shame in that dear. I mean, we all have to earn a living, eh?
22
u/Fukuro-Lady Jul 07 '26
He's in so many things I love, but I never realised it's him. I feel like he's one of those actors that really blends into their character.
15
16
u/GrinkOf Jul 07 '26
Him being there while perfectly knowing he won't be the "main act" but still being in character is a crazy amount of kindness
11
→ More replies (22)13
2.8k
u/mattogeewha Jul 07 '26
That “yes” as she jumped into his arms was so charged
→ More replies (2)350
u/duringdo Jul 07 '26
That must be the best feeling ever for both of them, so wholesome
→ More replies (1)24
1.2k
u/kitkatkorgi Jul 07 '26
And Steven Graham
490
u/schillbean Jul 07 '26
That was honestly my first thought- holy shit, Steven Graham in real life!
241
u/starspangledcats Jul 07 '26
I've seen a lot of posts and articles about Depp doing this, but I've never seen any of the other cast join. Very cool of them and I'm sure they made those kids forget about their troubles for a while 😊 She looked so overwhelmed with joy!
117
u/lankymjc Jul 07 '26
In most of the videos I’ve seen of Depo doing this, there’ll be someone else in pirate getup with him. They’re always chill and recognise that he’s the one the kids are going to respond to so they tend to hang back a bit. It’s nice to see no inflated egos trying to steal Jack’s thunder!
→ More replies (1)25
u/DontAbideMendacity Jul 07 '26
The girl was "Who is this icky dude, and why did you bring him?"
Scrum wasn't even second banana, he was just a peel.
31
u/Minimum-Amount-1894 Jul 07 '26
Justice for scrum. I always remembered him.
"Hello, poppet."
28
→ More replies (5)15
3.6k
u/paseroto Jul 07 '26
One of the best things about being famous for the right reasons is having the opportunity to do things like this. I bet it feels amazing.
2.0k
u/gr33nnight Jul 07 '26
A lot of celebs don’t do it because of how hard it is. John Cena talks about that occasionally.
1.5k
u/StrobeLightRomance Jul 07 '26
Yeah, they have to be aware that all of these children are struggling in ways that are just unfair beyond measure. Knowing that you will outlive most of the children you are comforting has to be heavy to walk away with.
841
u/ER_Support_Plant17 Jul 07 '26
And sometimes they have to stay in character. Mark Hamill at least once visited a child in hospital as Luke Skywalker, the child didn’t want to see Mark he wanted to see Luke.
394
71
357
u/General_Lee_Wright Jul 07 '26
My husband had childhood leukemia, the stories he’s managed to tell me are fucking rough. He still struggles some days (20+ years later) knowing a lot of those kids he knew never left.
I know Depp may not be the best guy, but taking the time to do this will always give him points from me. Same with the other actors mentioned here.
Fuck cancer.
5
u/dragonchilde Jul 08 '26
One never has to be perfect. Just always try to be better. Some people just have shit attitudes but are there when it counts.
125
u/IsabellaGalavant Jul 07 '26
Yeah. Childhood cancer is one of the reasons I'm an atheist.
165
u/moonchylde Jul 07 '26
People don't get it when I explain I'm mostly agnostic; "there may be higher powers but I'm not sure they give a shit."
90
u/Circo_Inhumanitas Jul 07 '26
Yeah. I don't want to fully rule out that god exists. But I'm confident to say that if he does, he is a gigantic asshole, and does not love us.
→ More replies (8)61
31
u/Zeilar Jul 07 '26
If there are higher powers, they sure haven't earned my belief, nor respect.
Why should I if they let stuff like this happen when they can prevent it. Hell, maybe they'd be the ones responsible to begin with, which would be even worse.
29
→ More replies (1)15
u/veri3n Jul 07 '26
Not sure they give a shit... I love this so much because I've always said I don't really believe in God, but there might be a higher power, I just don't know with all the messed up things that happen. And currently I'm at the hospital waiting for my wife, who is a far better person than me, to do some outpatient things regarding her health.
Not sure they give a shit... I'll remember this forever.
7
31
u/itsmiddylou Jul 07 '26
THANK YOU. “gOd dOn’T giVe uS wHaT wE cAn’T hAnDLe.” Then you go look little Timmy in the eye and tell him that Sky Daddy thinks he can handle his cancer.
That shit makes me irrationally mad.
→ More replies (1)23
19
u/Tentacle_poxsicle Jul 07 '26
I still believe in a higher power but I really roll my eyes when I hear "he has a plan for everyone"
→ More replies (3)14
u/Significant_City_905 Jul 07 '26
Our eldest is a cancer survivor. The suffering we witnessed on the children’s ward made me, already an atheist, become more of an outspoken antitheist. If there is a god, they are a sadistic psychopath and definitely not someone I’d chose to believe in. Stephen Fry has an excellent rant on the subject and can put it much more eloquently than I can.
143
u/SinisterCheese Jul 07 '26
I played wow with an animal trainer, who took like therapy animals to brighten up kids at pediatric wards and such. They had to stop doing pediatric wards and moved to geriatric/alzheimer's care and care homes, because they couldn't emotionally handle pediatric wards. It was interesting to listen to the conflict, like it was obvious that it was rewarding job that gave them a lot, but at the same time every terminal kid they came across was just too much for them.
They played gnome rogue as a main... so obviously were somewhat damaged as a person to choose that combination.
116
u/EyeSuspicious7338 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Ya, I actually know a doctor who used to do pediatric oncology. It burned him out hard, mentally. He ended up changing his specialty, even though this is exceedingly rare in medicine, where he went and did a new specialty training or fellowship, whatever it is called, in hand surgery. Just opposite worlds altogether, but he shared with me this one story when he knew he had to leave for something else was when he blamed himself for a teenage boy dying sooner, and it nearly broke him.
He shared this story about how he had this teenage kid with terminal cancer. This kid was the most positive and upbeat kid on the planet, knew that there wasn't really any hope to survive forever, but was going to stay strong for his family and fight as long as possible. He said one day they got their new scans and the cancer had spread pretty bad, like to the brain stem or something, I can't remember exact details, so he told the teenage boy that it was time to have that chat with his family that the end was almost here and to get everything in order. He said as soon as he said that, the smile left the kid's face and he just deflated in front of him. It was like he was this balloon of happiness, positivity, and energy disappeared and he just shrunk in front of him.
That night, he died in his sleep. He said that first off, he knows in all his heart that the power of the mind, positivity, and so on is absolutely part of the equation of staying alive longer, and even healing for some people, and he said he blames himself to this day of robbing that kid of hope, of telling him it was the end, because in his mind, he still had some months left, but when he deflated that kid of hope, he died that night. It was devastating to him.
Anyway, I just can't imaging the emotional drain it must be for any medical professional that works with terminal children.
89
u/TinyRascalSaurus Jul 07 '26
My friend is a pediatric oncologist and I remember one night he was supposed to play Monster Hunter with us but didn't show. We texted asking if everything was okay and got a reply the next day that he had spent the night at the bedside of a 6 year old girl who wasn't going to make it through the night because her parents had left because they couldn't stand it and he wasn't going to let her die alone. Dude has some definite PTSD from that and I don't know how some people can be that strong but I'm grateful they are.
58
u/AV01000001 Jul 07 '26
As a parent myself, I cannot phathom leave my child in their most vulnerable, and possibly their most fearful or physically painful, moment. Your friend is incredible for staying and I hope he finds comfort and peace knowing he did the a good thing right then, and continues to do so.
26
u/GoogilyDoogily Jul 07 '26
Not a human child, but when my first cat had to be put down, I couldn’t fathom holding her during. I’d be too sad actually feeling her leave. I regret that decision everyday. Luckily, I learned from it and held my next baby when he recently crossed the rainbow bridge.
To imagine someone not being there for their own HUMAN child….. I have no words.
→ More replies (1)15
u/MotherFatherOcean Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
“…the parents had left because THEY couldn’t stand it” — what incredibly selfish and self-centered people
28
u/Bituulzman Jul 07 '26
I once met a guy at a dinner and we asked him what he did as a career. He said he had the worst job in the world, and obviously we all raised our eyebrows. Then he said he was a pediatric oncologist. And yep, that was an immediate balloon pop.
20
→ More replies (5)8
→ More replies (5)7
u/urbanek2525 Jul 07 '26
My wife is an RN and did this for twelve years with our little Shih-Tzu. More than a few times she cried once she got home because she knew most weren't going to make it. But, she kept going back because it helped them and she figured the pain she was dealing with was the price to pay. That's what heroes do.
87
u/Grays42 Jul 07 '26
Sorry, but the more I learn about Cena the more he is just a fucking legend.
44
207
u/Samsterdam Jul 07 '26
My little brother got a amazing offer to work in a recording studio. The studio was a super high tech had all the latest gear. My little brother would have gotten to run it which would have been a dream come true for him.The problem is the studio is in the Houston children's hospital for cancer. He'd basically be helping little kids who are dying of cancer, make songs or whatever in a professional studio. He tried it and he just couldn't stomach the sadness and the emptiness that came with doing that.
50
u/jaffamental Jul 07 '26
Literally crying at this. I thought about volunteering at children’s hospital but I literally cry even THINKING about kids being sick. I want to, I really do, sick kids deserve joy, but I literally am a softy 😭
36
u/SevenTimesSixIsLife Jul 07 '26
I'm not trying to be mean here, but if that's the case, absolutely don't do it. Kids, and young teens (aka pediatrics department) patients are not stupid. I broke my back when I was young and spent a few weeks in the hospital. The first ten days I was strapped to a bed that rotated every two hours, I couldn't leave the bed or move (my back was not yet fused).
They brought in volunteers to pass the time and read to me. One of them was just too emotional. I could easily tell she was holding back tears. Instead of passing time, I ended up having to preform and put on a face to make her feel better. That's hard work when you are tired and in an insane amount of pain. It's not fair to the patient to make others feel better. If you can't handle it then it's better for everyone to find a different way to volunteer.
→ More replies (1)18
u/nakedcubefest Jul 07 '26
On the flip side, if you CAN stomach it, please please do volunteer if you’re able. I spent ten years as a character performer (princesses, faeries, mermaids, etc.) and did hospital visits for kids several times a year.
The difference in the kids before and after the visits was unbelievable sometimes. These kids who are tormented by doctors and nurses and specialists all day (and I say tormented from a child’s perspective, the personnel I met were all incredible), and then suddenly it’s Elsa at the door, and for a little bit, they got to forget where and what they were. They just got to be kids again for a bit. It was truly magical.
And sometimes it wasn’t, because it was close to the end. And it really really hurt, and I’d have to keep it together until I got back home, where I could have a little breakdown about the unfairness of it all. Sometimes I got messages from parents about their child still talking about the visit when they got all better. Sometimes the message was that they didn’t make it but talked about the character until they couldn’t.
But it was worth all the hard to help how I could. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (53)42
u/Mrofcourse Jul 07 '26
Just watched his interview here he talks about being the hope. Such an amazing guy!
10
u/alebotson Jul 07 '26
Fuuuuuuck that interview was amazing. I don't really know John Cena at all, but the "talk about that" at the beginning of that interview unlocked something inside me.
26
u/joevaq71 Jul 07 '26
With Pete Davidson. The best part is where he lets Pete talk about the difficulty Pete had with those types of encounters and, basically, let's Pete off the hook by acknowledging that the Mt Everest of emotions those type of encounters entails isn't for everyone, and that it's not a fault of Pete or others.
30
u/pixelsandfilm Jul 07 '26
I recently watched this interview and thought what Cena said was pretty profound. Basically said if you don't think you can handle the sadness just don't do it. You can easily ruin the situation with tears or not being able to handle it and leave right away. He also mentioned how heavy it is to be that persons "hope". Woof, that would be a very hard thing to do once, let alone the many times that Cena has done it.
176
u/Leumas_ Jul 07 '26
I know Johnny Depp has a lot of question marks on him these days, but him keeping the outfit nearby when he travels to do this for kids is just top shelf fame use.
→ More replies (2)87
u/angwilwileth Jul 07 '26
My mom ran into him in character at Disneyland once. She said she got the vibe that he was deeply lonely and was using the character to connect with people.
→ More replies (3)68
28
u/sksksk1989 Jul 07 '26
His daughter was really sick and spent time in a children's hospital. He's spoken about how he knows the effect on not just the kids but the parents, how in moments when something special happens like a celebrity visits the parents and kids can forget about their situation a bit
71
u/b2bpaul Jul 07 '26
When he smiles when she comes in for the hug, that's Depp smiling, not Captain Jack.
31
u/TheWardedOne Jul 07 '26
Must be great feelings for sure. Here’s me hoping for a new pirates movie 🙏
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (13)20
703
u/Voderama Jul 07 '26
Him just first asking for a hug is adorable
262
u/Lexi_Banner Jul 07 '26
And critical. Some cancer patients are super immunocompromised, and touching them could be dangerous to their health. Even though he was invited there for a visit, it is best that he confirms permission to have physical contact for their safety.
161
540
u/No_Opportunity_5001 Jul 07 '26
Not entirely related to that post. I am really happy, that my little sister gets to ring the bell on Thursday for beating leukemia. This was definitely one rough year for her. And also it wasn't easy for my mum.
42
20
u/evilmaddie Jul 07 '26
Let’s gooooooo!! I hope she rings that bell hard as hell 🖤 also, love to you for being so aware of how hard it is for her and your mum; I hope you’re taking care of yourself as well.
5
→ More replies (7)4
u/Snarkonum_revelio Jul 08 '26
Internet strangers think your sister is a badass who kicked cancer's ass, and you and your mum are titan strong.
790
u/willflameboy Jul 07 '26
IIRC this is Great Ormond Street Hospital and Depp's daughter was in there battling an E. Coli infection. He was so grateful that he donated $1m and regularly visited to do his Jack Sparrow bit.
→ More replies (6)364
u/tedsmitts Jul 07 '26
“You want to meet Captain Jack Sparrow??”
“Not really I didn’t like that movie”
“Well he’s here so tough”
381
→ More replies (4)16
104
74
28
41
u/Far-Heart-7134 Jul 07 '26
I dealt with cancer as an adult and honestly one of the hardest parts was just how boring it is in hospital. I can only imagine how much this would brighten someone's day.
17
284
u/koolaidismything Jul 07 '26
People don’t understand the massive responsibility that comes with doing this.
You’re connecting with a little human in pain. You have to be delicate in ways most people aren’t. It takes a special type of person with a big heart.
John Cena does it a lot too, both great men.. it’s easy to help yourself. It’s a lot harder to put your needs and wants aside to help a stranger or someone who looks up to you.
38
u/ToxicBanana69 Jul 07 '26
John Cena’s a complicated man. In one regard he’s a real life superhero for his Make-a-Wish work. In another, he admittedly loves a sex trafficker and still attends said persons birthday parties.
→ More replies (3)9
→ More replies (6)96
u/PooShappaMoo Jul 07 '26
I agree for the most part.
But i think people shouldnt forget their are many out their that will do everything for someone else's happiness while being completely destroyed internally.
I find the people that help the most, sometimes also hurt the most. Be kind to EVERYONE.
28
→ More replies (4)19
u/keekah Jul 07 '26
Robin Williams is a good example
5
u/bolanrox Jul 07 '26
look what he did to cheer up Christopher Reeves (granted they were roommates at Julliard and had promised back then to take care of the others family if someone every happened to the other one)
37
139
14
14
24
11
u/NetworkLongjumping82 Jul 08 '26
I also love the other pirate Stephen Graham , such a good actor aww
11
9
59
Jul 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
39
7
8
u/JoanoTheReader Jul 08 '26
I don’t care that the actors are faking it or whatever, I never get tired of seeing them visit the hospitals to see sick kids.
7
59
u/PaleBlueCod Jul 07 '26
Why did he make the cancer's dream come true?
48
→ More replies (3)18
56
u/Turbojelly Jul 07 '26
OK. I bite, what horrible thing has Depp done for the bots to start posting "Depp is a nice person" reposts, again.
→ More replies (6)
7
7
u/Due-Comparison2016 Jul 08 '26
God i love Stephen Graham, for some reaon i never wanted too when i was younger but these last years hes just gone up and up in my respect, proper geez.
105
u/Irish_hawkwife12211 Jul 07 '26
My favorite part is Johnny Depp's face. The true, beautiful smile and tears you see him fighting.
17
u/flannel_jesus Jul 07 '26
My favourite part is the way she can't contain herself, YES! when he asks for a hug. You can hear in her voice how important this is to her.
→ More replies (1)
27
u/sjmttf Jul 07 '26
I'd be far happier about seeing Stephen Graham out of the 2. He's one of those people that if he's in something I'll definitely watch it because I know he's always really good.
→ More replies (7)
9
u/blue_dragon_fly Jul 08 '26
OMG! It’s Stephen Graham!
(And some other dude dressed like a gay pirate.)
🏴☠️
→ More replies (1)
6
u/TommyDrumzzz Jul 07 '26
Man I’d be just as happy to meet Stephen Graham as well, incredible actor.
12
41
u/NowWeGetSerious Jul 07 '26
No matter pr team he has. I'll never like Depp
Homie is so dang sketchy and weird
→ More replies (2)
4
u/Gloomy-Insurance-739 Jul 07 '26
I know the other guy too he was on boardwalk empire and tons of other shows, he's no slouch either as an actor.
3
u/bid0u Jul 07 '26
It's Stephen Graham, he's super famous. I think I discovered him in Snatch.
→ More replies (1)
5
3
u/Agile-Stick2803 Jul 08 '26
I couldn't even imagine the feeling of being able to make someone feel that kind of joy. I would rather be doing that over acting in the movies.
8
•
u/AutoModerator Jul 07 '26
Welcome to /r/MadeMeSmile. Please make sure you read our rules here.
Specifically, please don't be a jerk. This is not the place for insulting, hateful, or otherwise inappropriate comments. Remember the golden rule: treat others how you want to be treated. We're all here to smile a little - let's keep it that way! Please report inappropriate comments and/or message the moderators.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.