When I arrived on set I had just finished a small movie about two days before in France.

I flew to Hawaii, which was probably the place in the world furthest away from home, and I was more than nervous. In fact I was terrified.

I didn’t speak any English when I got the part on Pirates, so you don’t know what to expect. I hadn’t been in a film of that size before, and I knew they were going to stop me from going outside too much to keep my skin pale. I was asking “What am I going to find there, what were the people there going to be like, and how would I talk to them?”

Thankfully, the people around me were welcoming and generous. I learned to speak English on the set, and I’ve never seen actors having fun like they have fun on the Pirates set. I felt comfortable from the beginning.

I had some moments in the movie that I was anxious about because there were some complex scenes. We were working with a green screen, so I had no idea about what the set would look like and how I could manage what I had to do. Part of me was computer-generated and it was a very physical role so I had to work out how to move. Part of me was anxious, but I asked to go down and watch the set location and absorb it and meet the specialists.

You really feel pressured because it’s huge to be part of that. But I felt I was in good hands and protected by [director] Rob Marshall, who is so good at giving the actors energy.

This job is a mixture of talent, hard work and luck, and you never know whether you have those three things. But from what I really learned from being on the film is to remain humble and grateful. Johnny Depp, Stephen Graham and Geoffrey Rush are humble about their lives and their careers, and they know how lucky they are.

That’s really important for an actor. It’s not about power or celebrity – ok, we’re important, but we need to be respectful on set.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is out on DVD now.