JOHNNY Depp was thrilled when he found out Penelope Cruz would be starring alongside him in the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean movie — because she’s one of his best friends.

The actor — who plays Captain Jack Sparrow in the swashbuckling series of films — has known Cruz, who plays a character called Angelica, for several years.

“Oh yeah, she’s a serious force to be reckoned with, Penelope. We did a film together years ago called Blow — I could’ve said, ‘We did blow together years ago.’ That really would’ve made it,” Johnny said.

“Yeah so we did this film Blow together, which was wonderful, I mean she’s really a treat, she’s a heavy hitter. You can throw all kinds of stuff out there into the atmosphere and she’ll snatch up something and throw a curve ball back at you. It’s very stimulating, she’s someone I adore, one of my best friends, so yeah it’s been great having her.”

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is due out later this year.

Recent reports claimed Depp wants to play Elvis Presley on the big screen.

“Johnny has always been fascinated by strong characters and inspirational people like Elvis,” reveals a source close to the actor.

“He is excited by the idea of a movie focusing on the dark side of Elvis and his later years as a superstar and an icon. It’s still early days but this is a project Johnny is very keen to get off the ground.”