In a new featurette for the upcoming film "The Lone Ranger," which documents the new Disney film's dangerous scene work, Johnny Depp is caught on tape experiencing a near-death experience after falling from a horse and being trampled on, NME reports.
The actor was almost trampled to death by the animal after the accidental fall during filming of a ride-a-long scene. Other risky stunts in the film include explosions, jumping from trains and various stunt work done from high vantage points and in the middle of the wilderness, all shown in the new featurette. Depp was mostly uninjured by the fall, suffering hoof marks on his stomach yet standing and joking just moments after the accident.
Director Gore Verbinski discusses the many challenges of filming the big budget Western epic in the 2-minute promo. "Longe Ranger" is Depp's latest collaboration with Verbinski, who also directed the first three "Pirates of the Caribbean" films in which Depp starred as the drunken pirate Jack Sparrow. In the new Western, Depp plays the Native American character Tonto.
"Since cinema has been around, Native Americans have been treated very poorly by Hollywood. What I wanted to do was play Tonto not as a sidekick - like 'Go fetch a soda for me, boy!' - but as a warrior with integrity and dignity," Depp said in a recent interview with Total Film for the magazine's cover story on the movie. "It's my small sliver of a contribution to try to right the wrongs of the past."
The new summer blockbuster will feature Depp as the companion to the title character, who first appeared in a 1930s radio show and has since become an iconic Western hero, having spawned his own novels, comic books and TV series.
"The Lone Ranger" hits theaters July 4, and its filmmakers predict that audiences will be impressed by its realistic, high budget stunt work.
