- "I absolutely love everything about how they've created Tia Dalma. Penny's costumes, the makeup that Ve Neill designed, the hair by Martin Samuel. I think it's all absolutely fabulous. I didn't recognize myself at all when I looked in the mirror, and that's the way it should be. I love the fact that Tia Dalma is such a rugged, earthy, crazy kind of character, because I've never played anything like this before. It's really liberating."
- ―Naomie Harris
Naomie Melanie Harris (September 6, 1976 in London) is an English actress. She portrayed Tia Dalma/Calypso in Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, and, while not taking a huge role, lending her voice in the making of On Stranger Tides.
Biography[]
Early life and career[]
Naomie Harris is the daughter of British sitcom-writer Lisselle Kayla. She graduated in 1998 from Pembroke College, Cambridge with an undergraduate degree in Social science and Political science. Harris trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. While she has acted in TV and film since she was nine, she only became a high-profile actress in 2002, with her performance as Selena, a co-lead in the film 28 Days Later. Since then, she has been cast in supporting roles in more high-profile movies, such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Michael Mann's Miami Vice. She also had a lead role in the television adaptation of Zadie Smith's White Teeth.
Pirates of the Caribbean[]
After the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, two sequels followed, Dead Man's Chest and At World's End. It was in these films, which were filmed back-to-back, that Naomie Harris starred as Tia Dalma, also known as the goddess Calypso bound in human form. On the mysterious Caribbean soothsayer Tia Dalma, Harris explains, "Tia Dalma's a gypsy queen, a free spirit, someone who has magic powers and the ability to see through people and understand their deepest desires. She's a very powerful woman, which I really like. She has associations with the elements of nature, and she's fiery and temperamental."[1]
In 2011, Naomie Harris confirmed being somewhat involved in the making of the fourth film On Stranger Tides, even though her character didn't appear in the film. Harris stated that she got a call and was asked to do some Tia Dalma lines that would be said in the film by Penélope Cruz's character, Angelica.
- "I don't know, because I got a call from someone on the production team while they were filming and they asked me to do some lines -- some Tia Dalma lines -- for Penelope Cruz. They said that in this one she references her. I haven't seen it to know if she does those lines or not, but I recorded them for her. So I don't know. I thought my character is referenced, which could mean she comes back in 5 but I don't know."[2]
Appearances[]
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - Tia Dalma
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - Tia Dalma/Calypso
External links[]
- Naomie Harris on Wikipedia
- Naomie Harris at the Internet Movie Database
- Naomie Harris as Tia Dalma - Naomie Harris Biography
- Affil 1 Network - Biography
- 2002 interview with The Guardian Unlimited