Javier Bardem found Johnny Depp to be "a joy to work with" on 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales'.

Javier Bardem

Javier Bardem

The 48-year-old actor appears opposite Johnny in the latest instalment of the money-spinning movie franchise and he has admitted to being wowed by his co-star's portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow.

Javier explained: "He's playing this character he knows so well that sometimes, the difficult part is to not be a spectator.

"Sometimes I was shooting with him and I was watching how he became Sparrow and it was a delight. And then it's like, 'S**t! I have to say my line.'"

Javier's wife Penelope Cruz starred opposite the Hollywood icon in the fourth 'Pirates' movie, and she offered her husband some advice about working with Johnny.

Javier told ET Online: "[Her] advice for working with Johnny is very simple, it's 'have fun.

"When I was on the 'Pirates' set, while Penelope was shooting, I realised how amazing the team was [that] Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney put together to make this kind of movie. I knew from the very beginning it was going to be an easy and exciting process."

Meanwhile, Javier - who worked with his wife on the Woody Allen-directed movie 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' in 2008 - recently admitted he questioned whether the actress was "too feisty" for him.

Javier said his wife boasts the same feistiness as her on-screen character Maria Elena and that led Javier to doubt whether the Spanish beauty was right for him.

He shared: "Oh, boy. She has that feistiness. There are those scenes where we are arguing, she's throwing plates and so on.

"I had to wonder, 'Do I really want this?' She has what I call the loving blood. Passion for everything."