Johnny Depp’s Body Double In Pirates Of The Caribbean Opens Up About A Stunt Mishap That Nearly Cost Him His Life(Photo Credit –Facebook)
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Tony Angelotti, Johnny Depp’s stunt stand-in in Pirates of the Caribbean, faced a deadly accident during Dead Man’s Chest that nearly took his life. Known for taking on the risky action scenes as Jack Sparrow’s double, Angelotti performed one high-risk drop that went terribly wrong.
The failed stunt caused a serious injury that led to multiple surgeries, forced him out of major stunts, and left him dealing with long-term trauma. Speaking in an interview, he opened up about the moment it all changed — from the faulty rigging to life after the fall.
Stunt Gone Wrong Could Have Nearly Finished Johnny Depp’s Double’s Career
Tony Angelotti recalled the mishap while shooting a spinning drop scene in Dead Man’s Chest. The shot involved him hanging from a cliff with a rope wrapped around his leg, then unraveling mid-air. Things went off track when the system didn’t hold.
“When I was up, looking down, I gave the call of ‘three, two, one, go,’ they pulled my quick release that would allow me to unravel. However, the operator of the descender did not have the brake on and I went into a freefall,” he stated to Metro.
The uncontrolled spin led to a harsh internal injury. “I felt the ripping of inside my pelvic area, the burning, ripping sensation,” he said. “And once I got to the bottom, I recoiled, like you would like a yo-yo, and sort of did this flailing backflip and then I went into this massive split.”
Medical teams later found that a small artery near his thigh bone was grazed. Recovery took a year and more surgery followed. The injury brought his action-heavy work to a stop.
“That pretty much ended my major performing career. I still did stuff that was like lighter stunts and whatnot, but it kind of f****** me up to be quite honest.”
The damage also affected him mentally. Angelotti shared that he was later diagnosed with PTSD after the stunt gone wrong. He also mentioned his bond with the Hollywood actor on set. They would often share wine in the Hollywood actor’s trailer after long shoots.
Captain Jack Sparrow stunt double Tony Angelotti shared an interesting story about working with Johnny Depp on the set of POTC in an exclusive interview: a thread. pic.twitter.com/mboEUXZJ99
“I would have beautiful wine with him at the end of the night in his trailer, he would invite me in a couple of times. I can remember having beautiful Bordeaux and just sort of recapping the day and just talking about the stunts and things to come.”
Depp once gifted him a Neil Lane ring. When Angelotti was hit near the eye during a scene with Orlando Bloom, Depp stopped filming to make sure he got treatment.
