The next movie Captain Jack Sparrow?

Sebastien Dell Valle, as Captain Jack Sparrow, has transformed a room in his home into the captain’s quarters.

There is an outside possibility Sebastien Del Valle could be the next person who plays Captain Jack Sparrow. He definitely has the support of three actors who have been in the storied franchise’s films: Kevin McNally (who portrayed First Mate Joshamee Gibbs), Martin Klebba (who portrayed Marty, a dwarf pirate), and Lee Arenberg, who was Pintel, another pirate.

As he looks back on how he, as a tribute artist, came to portray Sparrow, a wry smile comes across Del Valle’s face as he recounts how it started as a joke while in high school.

“I had a friend who let me borrow a costume from Party City, a pirate costume, which was really just a hat and a cape,” said Del Valle. “From there, I just added to it with hot glue and Goodwill.”

He continued doing so while in college, adding costume pieces and other accessories along the way. His personification picked up momentum along the way. It started out with people saying he looked like Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, which was what Del Valle was aiming for. With that, he began entering Halloween costume competitions.

“So I started going to contests, just to try to see if I could win anything,” he said.

“After a day pirating on the high seas, even I, Captain Jack Sparrow, like to kick back in my captain’s quarters on the Black Pearl (formerly The Wicked Wench) and enjoy a good bottle of rum. It’s made by 15 men on a dead man’s chest … treasure chest, that is. It’s straight rum, ‘cause I like to save the ‘spice’ for later.”

The first time he came away with $425. That led him to do this the next two to three years. One time he made $2,500. But that was the extent of his portrayal.

“What really kicked it off was when my friend’s dad asked if I could dress up for his daughter, who has special needs, and so I immediately said yes,” he said. For her, he made her a bracelet with letters that spelled out her first name followed by the word “Sparrow.” He also gave her a piece of black cloth and told her it came from one of his sails. He was there for almost two hours. “Basically, she just held me the whole time.”

This was Del Valle’s epiphanous moment. Afterward, he and the girl’s parents went outside.

“And as soon as the door closed we just started crying,” he said. He admitted to getting goosebumps as he recounted that day. “It was just such a humbling experience to see how much joy it brought that little girl, and then the family getting to see their little girl so happy.”

Sebastien Del Valle shows off his dreadlocks, made of his actual hair that he’s grown the past 14-15 years.

As he returned home, Del Valle realized the die had been cast.

“I was, like, I got to do this. I got to take it more serious,” he said. With that he began to invest in more authentic costuming and accessorizing. Nowadays he has several Jack Sparrow outfits, many of them made by costumers who worked on them in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film franchise. From tri-corner hats to boots, the cost has run into thousands of dollars. Del Valle said it’s all been worth it.

It’s also a reason why the three actors from the films, whom Del Valle has met at various conventions, call his personification the closest to anyone else they’ve seen portraying Sparrow, and they have urged him to contact Disney Studios, offering their total support.

It isn’t often that Ashley Del Valle dons costume and makeup and joins her husband, Sebastien, in public appearances as Captain Jack Sparrow.

However, the most important support comes from his wife, Ashley.

“My wife is the backbone,” he said. “Without her, I wouldn’t be able to do this.” She is also his agent, as well as the bookkeeper. In order to accomplish this (as well as raise their three children, ages 9, 7 and 3), she gave up a career in retail.

Del Valle so appreciates his wife’s support that the couple are looking into purchasing a food truck, as Ashley is a wizard when it comes to food preparation. He whips out his cellphone and begins showing picture after picture of some of her creations. These are eye-popping, to say the least.

He also is trying to coax Ashley into participating, which she has done on a very limited basis; so have the children. At a recent convention the two oldest tied for first place in a contest.

As far as reaching out to Disney … he has, but he hasn’t. Del Valle hasn’t actually contacted anyone at Disney Studios. What he has done, though, is start a petition drive, which currently has more than 16,000 signatures and is climbing.

Has Captain Jack Sparrow (as portrayed by tribute artist Sebastien Del Valle) and his crew captured yet another ship laden with treasure?

And several years ago he auditioned for becoming a cast member for Disney World’s Japanese attraction. Of all the people auditioning, he was the only one who arrived in costume. It made an impression on those conducting the auditions, but didn’t lead to an offer.

“They were looking for people who could portray more than one Disney character, such as Gaston from Beauty and Beast. But he’s like six foot something, which I’m not,” he said.

For the time being, though, Del Valle is “going with the flow.” He hopes that flow will lead to greater opportunities as Captain Jack Sparrow.

To learn more, go to his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/captainsebsparrow

You can contact Steve Steiner at [email protected].